If you have a damson tree in your garden, you might suddenly find yourself with more fruit than you know what to do with! Here are a few ideas.
Damsons are a lovely fruit which for me have always heralded the end of summer and beginnings of autumn. Growing up, my grandparents had a tree in their garden and it was always prolific. Every year, they’d suddenly have more damsons than they could use or give away. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to make sure your fruit doesn’t go to waste.
Can I freeze damsons?
Yes! Damsons freeze well and can even be frozen whole, though you can also cut them and remove the stones to save yourself a job later.
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If you don’t mind them all lumping together into one great damson mass, simply give them a wash and stick them straight in the freezer, easy peasy.
Otherwise, wash and fully dry the damsons, then spread them out on a tray and freeze until solid, at which point you can transfer them all into a container together.
How else can I preserve damsons?
All the usual suspects – damson jam is lovely, and you can also try pickled damsons or damson chutney.
For jam, the rule of thumb is the same ratio of fruit to sugar. Heat the fruit on the hob with some water and bring to a boil before adding the sugar, stirring over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. At this point, you can raise the heat and bring it to a proper boil. Resist stirring until a temperature of around 102-105C is reached. Then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes or so before transferring to sterilised jars.
For something a bit fancier, how about our autumn damson, apple & pear jam recipe?
You could also try damson gin or vodka, or a damson fruit cheese, which goes well with roast meat or a cheeseboard.
Recipes using damsons
Damsons make a lovely crumble, such as this delicious almond and damson crumble recipe by Anna Cairns Pettigrew. You could also try a damson cobbler or ice cream.
In fact, if you have a favourite recipe using plums, it may well work just as well with damsons. If substituting, you may just want to add a little more sugar to the recipe as damsons are a little more tart.
