[Steveharford]

Im about to make damson jam and am not sure whether to use jam sugar or ordinary as the last time I made some it set too much. Do they have enough pectin already? Mrs Bee?

[snowdrops]

I never use jam sugar for any jams. Damsons usually have a good set so I assume high pectin. Make sure you don't boil for too long, that will be why it is a very firm set. Try the set & remember to take the pan away from the heat whilst testing.

[Steveharford]

Thanks Snow I probably did boil too long while I was fishing the stones out. Im pretty sure I used jam sugar too so no wonder it was solid :-)

[ghost61]

If you leave the stones in, they help jam to set.  If no stones then the pectin level is reduced.  A bit of lemon juice can help the jam to set more firmly, but I like a runnier consistency for plum/damson jams.

[Madame Cholet]

I've only every used jam sugar or lemons with strawberries or rhubarb. Damson set very well on there own with out any stones.

[Mrs Bee]

You don't need pectin sugar for Damsons and you don't need lemon unless you want to add a lemon flavour.

Simmer the damson whole. Leave to cool and then I put on a pair of food grade plastic gloves and squidge through the mixture and remove all the stones.  The damsons are quicker to soften if you freeze them first.

Don't worry if you miss any stones as when you are boiling to a set, any stones that you missed will rise to the top.

I will give my basic  recipe with the variations in case  you fancy something other than plain Damson.

5lb  damsons
6lb sugar
1 and 1/2 pints water
1 teaspoon of sunflower oil to be added with the sugar.

The variations are.. for a mulled damson cook the damsons in 1 pint red wine, 1/2 pint water and put 16 allspice berries, 8 cloves, 40g cinnamon stick and 1 tab of whole star anise in a spice ball or muslin, and the juice and rind of 3 oranges, the rind of 2 lemons and the juice of 2.

You can also put 2 teaspoons of brandy in each jar before you pour in the jam.

For Port and lemon damson, add the rind and juice of 3 or 4  lemons depending on the size, and add 2 teaspoons of port to the jars before potting the jam. Did this because we have a glut of port No one knows what to by MR BEE for special times and he did say once that he liked port. We now have a port lake.

orange and cinnamon is the other one. Add a large cinnamon stick and the rind and juice of 4 oranges.
You can add 2 teaspoons of brandy to the jam jars if you want as well.

These make unusual jams as presents for the winter festival.

I have been buying the smallest preserving jars from the Swedish store, 80p each and filling them with preserves to give as gifts. I was a bit concerned that you couldn't but replacement rubber seals for them but I find that the kilner jar replacement rings fit.

[Steveharford]

Thankyou all for your help. I knew I would find it here and can now start jamming with confidence. And Mrs Bee your variations sound delightful and I am now trying to decide which one to make first. Many thanks.

[Madame Cholet]

Sound lovely Mrs Bee I've also found Damson and Rhubarb very tasty.

[Mrs Bee]

Thankyou all for your help. I knew I would find it here and can now start jamming with confidence. And Mrs Bee your variations sound delightful and I am now trying to decide which one to make first. Many thanks.

My pleasure.
The important thing to remember with Damson and all high pectin fruits is not to boil it for too long or you get a really stiff solid jam. Far better to stop the boil early and test.

The more jam you make the better you will be at judging when to stop.

I find checking the consistency of the jam using the flake test is a good indication, and I take the pan off the heat, stick a blob on a  saucer, pop it into the fridge and go for a long slow cup of coffee. Then if the jam is of the correct consistency I bring the jam back to the boil stirring continually or it can burn and then pot it on.

I check the sugar content through out the boiling process until I get a sugar content of about 60 to 65%, which gives a set that is of a dropping consistency. But then I am rather OCD about getting a consistent result  :blush:and use a refractometer.

[Madame Cholet]

I agree Mrs Bee with experience, you almost know its near a set by the look of it.

[Mrs Bee]

I agree Mrs Bee with experience, you almost know its near a set by the look of it.

You can't beat a little experience, Rachel.

Although I have a couple of friends who occasionally make jam.
They have been kind enough to give me some of their preserves to show me examples of their jams using  pectin powder and topping jam with a waxed disc and then using a recycled lid.

I was too kind to point out that one jam was so runny it couldn't be used as jam.
And the marmalade had gone mouldy under the waxed disc.

That was quite hard as part of me wanted to do a share my knowledge and experience and the other part valued their friendship and didn't want to upset them. So I kept quiet.

It was food processor marmalade too. Some people like to do it this way and that is great, but I prefer hand cut.

I developed a recipe for Seville marmalade with ginger, cinnamon and chocolate, earlier this year and can I find the note book with my recipe......... Of course not Now that is a pain as it is really lovely. So back to the drawing board with that.

[Madame Cholet]

I'm naughty I use marmade and add extras cider or pineapple ect. I've never used wax paper rely on the vacuum created under the lids. We all have a few failures the odd lid not sealed or something not setting but we eat all the rejects ourselves.

I thing people are really proud if they are new to preserving and want to show you, its kind of you to be so generous with your spirit.

[crh75]

A good tip for damson jam is to count the damsons in then count the stones out.

[Steveharford]

Well I decided to just do a simple damson one to start. Only boiled for 7 or 8 mins but its still too firm. Looks and tastes great Mind you. I will try a Mrs Bee variation with the next one and start testing after just 5 mins.

[Mrs Bee]

Well done Steve.  

Don't get too hung up on it being a little too firm. If you want it a little softer you could always pop it in the microwave for a few seconds before spreading it on your toast.  Make sure you take the lid off the jar  first.