Damson jam in a jar served with crusty bread and butter

Damson jam

Name: Damson jam
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 4 jars
Ingredients: 900g damsons stalks removed; 900g golden granulated sugar; knob of butter

Lulu Grimes

Save recipe

Makes 4 jars

Easy

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 50 mins

A star rating of 3.9 out of 5.48 ratingsRate

loading...

Make the most of damsons in the summer with this sweet and fruity damson jam. Serve with crusty bread, or try as a filling in your favourites cakes and bakes.

Gluten-free

Vegan

Vegetarian

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Rhubarb jam

A star rating of 4.9 out of 5.96 ratings

Jam roly-poly

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.78 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

900g damsons

stalks removed
900g golden granulated sugar
knob of butter

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: Per tbsp

kcal40
fat0g

low
saturates0g
carbs10g
sugars10g
fibre0.2g
protein0g
salt0g

Method

step 1

Wash your jars and lids in hot, soapy water, rinse, then place on a baking tray and put in a low oven for 10 mins or until completely dry. If you want to use rubber seals, remove the seals and cover in just-boiled water. Make sure you sterilise any funnels, ladles or spoons you’re going to be using too.
step 2

Put the fruit into a jam pan or a large, wide, heavy-based saucepan. Leave the stones in (see tip below). Add 150ml water and bring to the boil. Put a couple of saucers in the freezer. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 mins or until the fruit is soft.
step 3

Tip in the sugar and stir over a very low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, up to 10 mins. This step is vital – if you don’t dissolve the sugar, the bottom of the pan may catch and burn. Raise the heat, bring to a full rolling boil, then rapidly boil for 10 minutes. Don’t stir until the setting point of 105C is reached. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the jam by spooning a little onto a cold saucer. Wait a few seconds, then push the jam with your fingertip. If it wrinkles, the jam is ready. If not, cook for a few mins more and test again, with another cold saucer. Once you have reached 105C or setting point, stir the jam thoroughly.
step 4

Remove from the heat, skim off any excess scum, then stir a knob of butter into the surface (this helps to dissolve any remaining scum). Leave for about 15 mins so the fruit can settle – if you decant the jam too soon, all the fruit will sink to the bottom. Pour into sterilised jars, label and seal.

RECIPE TIPS

DAMSON STONES

Damsons are clingstone fruit, with flesh that clings to the stone making them hard to remove. If you don't like the idea of leaving stones in, you can cut down the length of the damson and twist, then use a knife to lever the stone out. Another option is to sieve the jam after cooking, although this will give a different texture. Alternatively just leave them in and warn your guests!

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 3.9 out of 5.48 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now