damson cheese

[jane E]

I know where I hope to visit this autumn - a certain National Trust property in Worcs, where they have umpteen damson trees that members of the public are allowed to pick. The plum crop looks like being good again so..........
Someone suggested making cheese rather than jelly because it has the consistency of jam but none of the bits, which is important with damsons. It was delicious! I'm having to ration it to make it last until next damson season.

[Primrose]

Jane. I agree with you, Damson Cheese is delicious even though it involves a little more work to strain out the bits. We have just one jar of Damson jam left before the Autumn crop. It won't last long in the face of some scones and clotted cream; even better than strawberry jam I think.

[Tigger]

We only do Damson Cheese and Damson Gin. Both are divine......

[Monika]

When you make damson jam or cheese, do you de-stone the damson before cooking or fish the stones out of the cooked damsons? The first time I made damson jam, I tried to get the stones out first and ended up with very little flesh because much of it clung to the stones. So, the second time, I counted the damsons into the pot and then, when cooked, counted the stones out (to make sure none were left behind). Neither method seemed very satisfactory. What's the accepted way of doing it?

[Primrose]

Monika, I've always cooked my damsons first, when making either damson cheese or jam, simply because of the impossibility of removing the stones from the fresh fruit. As you say, they don't have a very good flesh to stone ratio, and the stones separate from the cooked pulp more easily, although it's still a pain fishing them all out. We make all our jams & preserves in the microwave these days and find it a much more satisfactory arrangement because the sugar doesn't burn so you never have to worry about continually stirring to stop the base of the pan getting burned. My first jams & marmalades were made in the cast iron preserving pan my grandmother gave me. I've still got it, but it's so heavy I can hardly lift it!