Damson Cheese

From http://www.cottagesmallholder.com

2lbs/917gms of damsons
1/4pt/150ml of water
White granulated sugar (1lb to each 1pint of damson puree)
A squeeze of lemon juice( approximately 1/2 tsp)

Wash, pick over and discard bad fruit.

Put damsons and water in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring gently to simmering point and simmer very gently until all fruit is soft and falling of the stones (this can take at least an hour or more). Keep an eye on it, stirring from time to time.

When fruit is very soft, remove from the heat and cool before straining and pressing through a medium sieve. Discard the stones.

Pour fruit into a measuring jug, note the quantity and return to the cleaned pan with the sugar and lemon juice.
Stir over a gentle heat stir until sugar is dissolved.

Bring to the boil and continue to boil briskly. Stir constantly, to stop the sugar burning on the base of the saucepan. Don’t skip this bit.

The damson cheese it ready when the spoon makes a clear track mark on the bottom of the pan. Not a parting of the seas but but a glimpse of the bottom.

Ladle into warmed, sterilised straight sided jars. (How do I sterilise jars and lids? See tricks and tips below).
Allow to cool a little, whilst still warm, and cover with sterilised plastic lined screw topped lids or waxed disks and cellophane covers.

Label when cold and store in a cool, dark, dry area. It should keep for a year.

Once opened, keep in the fridge and eat within a month or so.

Tips and tricks

How to freeze damsons (also how to freeze plums, blackberries, greengages, wild damsons and sloes)

Pick over fruit and discard any bad fruit
Wash fruit and dry in a large clean tea cloth
Put fruit into labelled bags and freeze

Why can’t I use plastic (i.e. ice cream cartons, to store damson cheese in my fridge?
A friend, who is a great chef, made a batch of damson cheese purely for personal consumption. The damson cheese was poured into a large clean, sterilised ice cream carton. Every now and then, a sizeable nugget of damson cheese was savoured. After a few months (once opened damson cheese keeps for ages in the fridge) the plastic tainted the damson cheese and the private cache had to be thrown out. Glass and earthenware are fine for damson cheese. After opening, store in the fridge.

How do I sterilise jars and lids?

Sterilising the jars and lids: We collect jars all year round for our jelly, chutney and jam making sessions. I try to soak off labels and store the clean jars and metal plastic coated screw-top lids in an accessible place. The sterilising method that we used is simple. Just before making the ‘cheese’, I quickly wash and rinse the jars and place them upside down in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 160c/140c for fan assisted. When the oven has reached the right temperature I turn off the heat. The jars will stay warm for quite a while. I only use plastic lined lids for preserves as the all-metal lids can go rusty. I boil these for five minutes in water to sterilise them. If I use Le Parfait jars, I do the same with the rubber rings.

Damson vodka

From: http://www.free-from.com/blog/drowning-in-damsons/

You’ll hear different versions of this recipe, with different proportions of fruit, sugar and alcohol. It’s based on the old sloe gin recipe … so if you have sloes, or plums, or want gin rather than vodka, feel free to mix and match, and use more or less of everything!

4lbs of fruit: 2lbs of sugar; 1litre of alcohol.

Prick the washed fruit several times with a fork. Mix all ingredients together. Leave for 3 months, stirring weekly. Strain out the fruit (should be nicely alcoholic by now, and you could use it on icecream, or perhaps in pies). Bottle just in time for Christmas. If you’re lucky enough to have a Lakeland near you, or an oldfashioned cookshop, you may be able to get sloe gin bottles – otherwise, just keep the vodka bottles and reuse them.

Damson and Ginger Chutney

From http://www.free-from.com/blog/drowning-in-damsons/

This will make about 7lbs of chutney. See http://www.free-from.com/blog/?p=27 for instructions on sterilising jam jars.

3lbs damsons. Wash them and remove the stalks.
2in piece of fresh root ginger (or 4 tablespoons of ready-grated fresh ginger – not ground ginger).
15 cardamom pods. Crush them, discard the outer husks and save the black seeds.
1lb onions, very finely chopped
1 big cooking apple, chopped to size of sultanas
1lb of granulated sugar
1lb of dark muscovado sugar
12 oz of sultanas
2 pints of cider vinegar
6in cinnamon stick
2tablespoons of salt

Put the damsons into your (big!) pan and stir over a gentle heat until the fruits burst. Some people advise removing the stones at this point – I think they’re easier to remove later, when the flesh falls off them.

Add everything to the damsons, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 3 and one-half hours. While it is simmering, pick out the stones and discard them. Don’t let the chutney stick.

When it begins to look like chutney – thick and gloopy – and has reduced by about half, remove the pan from the heat. Discard the cinnamon stick, fill the jars and seal. Leave them for 3 months. They’ll be ready for Christmas.

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