This acid gives the plums a bitter taste which many people find unpleasant. [5], The name damson comes from Middle English damascene, damesene, damasin, damsin,[6] and ultimately from the Latin (prunum) damascenum, "plum of Damascus". Plants for his sons. Plums, gages and damsons are all stone fruits that thrive in sheltered, warm gardens. They can also be pickled, canned, or otherwise preserved. insititia, which is a smaller but invariably round plum with purple or yellowish-green skin. [citation needed], The skin of the damson can have a very tart flavour, particularly when unripe (the term "damson" is often used to describe red wines with rich yet acidic plummy flavours). Put the plums through a mouli or food mill to remove the stones or use a colander if you don’t have a mouli ( this purees the plums a bit too). Damsons do take a long time to bear fruit, as the ancient rhyme has it:- A type of damson once widely grown in County Armagh, Ireland, was never definitely identified but generally known as the Armagh damson; its fruit were particularly well regarded for canning. Most cooks then remove the stones, but others, either in order not to lose any of the pulp or because they believe the flavour is better, leave the stones in the final product. • (First fruit from this tree): 1. While the taste of damsons can be a little tart and plain, lacking the sweetness and juiciness of a plum, when made into jam they take on a whole new level of loveliness! Performance & security by Cloudflare. Wash plums, remove seeds, cut in fourths. Damson plums are mostly grown in the United Kingdom as well as a few California orchards and harvested in the late summer and fall. insititia is still extremely debatable: it is often thought to have arisen in wild crosses, possibly in Asia Minor, between the sloe, Prunus spinosa, and the cherry plum, Prunus cerasifera. Too long have damsons lived in the shadow of plums, their larger, sweeter and more widely used cousins. It is a very good late plum. Line a plastic sieve with a square of muslin (or use a coffee filter in a cone for a really refined gin) … Crecipe.com deliver fine selection of quality Damson pie recipes equipped with ratings, reviews and mixing tips. [7][8] Remnants of damsons are sometimes found during archaeological digs of ancient Roman camps across England, and they have clearly been cultivated, and consumed, for centuries. [11] As time progressed, a distinction developed between the varieties known as "damascenes" and the (usually smaller) types called "damsons", to the degree that by 1891 they were the subject of a lawsuit when a Nottinghamshire grocer complained about being supplied one when he had ordered the other. The historical link between the Roman-era damascenum and the north and west European damson is rather tenuous despite the adoption of the older name. Bowerbank, "The Commercial Quassia, or Bitterwood", Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, "Biodiversity of Yeasts During Plum Fermentation", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Damson&oldid=989993603, Articles with dead external links from September 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Articles with dead external links from November 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Taxonbars with automatically added basionyms, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Although the majority of damson varieties are blue-black or purple in colour, there are at least two now-rare forms of "white damson", both having green or yellow-green skin. He who plants damsons This German Damson Plum Cake is a delicious tray bake topped with a buttery nutty streusel. “He who plants plums Damson crumble. In South and Southeast Asia, the term damson plum sometimes refers to jamblang, the fruit from a tree in the family Myrtaceae. The most likely cause is that something on your server is hogging resources. Equal volumes stoned fruit and sugar steeped for 24 hours in fridge. The fruit of the damson can also be identified by its shape, which is usually ovoid and slightly pointed at one end, or pyriform; its smooth-textured yellow-green flesh; and its skin, which ranges from dark blue to indigo to near-black depending on the variety (other types of Prunus domestica can have purple, yellow or red skin). Add water and cook until fruit is soft. Damsons are blue-black fruit that look like small plums. 2. 'Shropshire Prune' (syn. [10] Despite this, tests on cherry plums and damsons have indicated that it is possible that the damson developed directly from forms of sloe, perhaps via the round-fruited varieties known as bullaces, and that the cherry plum did not play a role in its parentage. Related recipe search ... Last week I made 2 batches damson plum preserves, 3 days apart, from damson tree in my yard. Apart from being eaten with bread toast, yummy damson jelly is a great compliment to roasted meat too! The fruits have a similar seasonal period, and are at their best in August and September, but can often be found in October too. Your IP: 79.137.34.35 The National Fruit Collection has accessions of the "White Damson (Sergeant)"[47] and the larger "White Damson (Taylor)",[48] both of which may first have been mentioned in the 1620s. Damsons are my favourite members of the plum family. Easy . It was regarded as thriving better in the continental United States than other European plum varieties; many of the earliest references to European plums in American gardens concern the damson. Because damson stones may be difficult and time-consuming to separate from the flesh, preserves, such as jam or fruit butter, are often made from whole fruit. Written by Phil Brown, Badger Bushcraft blog Tuesday, 26 November 2013 14:15 Readers of our bushcraft blog seem to be very keen jam makers during the jam making season with some of the wild fruits that … Stir mixture over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Contact your hosting provider letting them know your web server is not completing requests. The flavour matures and improves over time. They end up with a deep, rich taste and amazing texture that will completely blow you away. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer the plums gently, uncovered, till the fruit is clear and the syrup thick, 30 to 40 minutes. The Luxembourg speciality quetschentaart is a fruit pie made with insititia plums.[50]. Cloudflare Ray ID: 6010f4e1892a32ad Learn how to cook great Damson plums . Remove the stone from the plums using a sharp knife. Cardamom adds an unusual and subtle … The damson is broadly similar to the semi-wild bullace, also classified as ssp. I was overjoyed to find them in my local Borough Market a few years ago … Measure and add 3/4 cup sugar for each cup of fruit. 4 ratings 3.3 out of 5 star rating. There is a bit of work involved in washing, drying and pitting the plums, but the prep time is worth it! [17] The main recorded use of damsons in the industrial era was in commercial jam-making, and orchards were widespread until the Second World War, after which changing tastes, the effect of wartime sugar rationing, and the relatively high cost of British-grown fruit caused a steep decline. It ripens in the third/fourth week of September. [13] Elsewhere damsons were used in orchards to protect less hardy trees, though orchards entirely composed of damson trees were a feature of some areas, notably the Lyth Valley of Westmorland and the Teme Valley in the Malverns, and indeed damsons were the only plum planted commercially north of Norfolk.[14]. The damson (/ˈdæmzən/) or damson plum (Prunus domestica subsp. According to Damson plum tree information, fresh Damson plums (Prunus insititia) are bitter and unpleasant, so Damson plum trees aren’t recommended if you want to eat sweet, juicy fruit straight off the tree.However, when it comes to jams, jellies and sauces, Damson plums are pure perfection. The higher the temperature, the thicker the syrup, and so the more viscous it is, obviously. 'Prune Damson', 'Long Damson', 'Damascene', 'Westmoreland Damson', 'Cheshire Damson') is a very old variety; its blue-purple, ovoid fruit has a distinctively "full rich astringent" flavour considered superior to other damsons, and it was thought particularly suitable for canning. Similar to the Shropshire Prune and possibly part of the same, 'Frogmore' is a cultivar first grown in the 19th century in the Royal Gardens at, 'King of the Damsons' (syn. The Damson plum makes a tart, flavorful, soft-setting jam that is a rich, deep wine-colored spread for cookies, waffles, bread, or anything else, really. The plums themselves were nothing extraordinary. Get one of our Damson pie recipe and prepare delicious and healthy treat for your family or friends. Damson Syrup Made With My Very Own Shropshire Prune Variety of Damson. The main characteristic of the damson is its distinctive rich flavour; unlike other plums it is both high in sugars and highly astringent. Good appetite! Damson Plum Preserves. [3] Damsons are relatively small ovoid plum-like fruit with a distinctive, somewhat astringent taste, and are widely used for culinary purposes, particularly in fruit preserves and jams. The damson or damson plum (Prunus domestica subsp. Slightly tart, not very flavorful, nothing like a regular plum which can be incredibly succulent and juicy. [15] Stories that damsons were used to dye khaki army uniforms are particularly common. Damson stones have been found in an excavation in Hungate, York, and dated to the late period of Anglo-Saxon England. Contact your hosting provider letting them know your web server is not completing requests. Damsons generally have a deeply furrowed stone, unlike bullaces, and unlike prunes cannot be successfully dried. Then use for: Damson Plum Cordial. Raw damsons can be rather Damsons are the most delicious plum to cook with. Get one of our Damson plums recipe and prepare delicious and healthy treat for your family or friends. An Error 522 means that the request was able to connect to your web server, but that the request didn't finish. It’s rich flavour and deep colour make it a perfect jam to enjoy in the autumn and beyond. It had a mealy texture and acid flavour, and by the 1940s it was no longer planted. They are high in sugar and, at the same time, somewhat bitter and are an especially good plum variety for jams and preserves. 'Blue Violet' originated in Westmoreland (likely as a hybrid or development of 'Shropshire Prune') and was first sent to the National Fruit Trials in the 1930s. [10] Insititia plums of various sorts, such as the German Kriechenpflaume or French quetsche, occur across Europe and the word "damson" is sometimes used to refer to them in English, but many of the English varieties from which the name "damson" was originally taken have both a different typical flavour and pear-shaped (pyriform) appearance compared with continental forms. Varieties of insititia are found across Europe, but the name damson is derived from and most commonly applied to forms that are native to Great Britain. Cook for ~35 minutes -- … The true damson is small and oval, almost almond-shaped, with dark indigo-purple skin, covered in a soft bloom and bright-green, sharp-sour flesh that when cooked with sugar, produces darker, reddish-purple juice. Varieties of insititia are found across Europe, but the name damson is derived from and most commonly applied to forms that are native to Great Britain. How To Make Damson And Plum Jam Recipe. There is a body of anecdotal evidence that damsons were used in the British dye and cloth manufacturing industries in the 18th and 19th centuries, with examples occurring in every major damson-growing area (Buckinghamshire, Cheshire, Westmorland, Shropshire and Worcestershire). [4] The name "mountain damson" or "bitter damson" was also formerly applied in Jamaica to the tree Simarouba amara. The interior has a low flesh to seed ratio, with a somewhat dry texture. To do this, cut each plum on the side along the stone, but take care not to half them completely. To every cup of liquid add a cup of sugar. Bring to a boil, add the plums, and return to the boil. 'Bradley's King') is a, 'Merryweather' is a popular 20th century cultivar, introduced by the firm of Henry Merryweather & Sons of, 'Early Rivers', registered in 1871, was raised by Rivers' Nursery from a seed of the variety. We do not meet with it abroad, nor is any mention of it made in any of the pomological works or nurseryman's catalogues on the Continent". insititia, or sometimes Prunus insititia), also archaically called the "damascene", is an edible drupaceous fruit, a subspecies of the plum tree. [3] Robert Hogg commented that "the Damson seems to be a fruit peculiar to England. Insititia varieties similar to damsons are used to make slivovitz, a distilled plum spirit made in Slavic countries. 'Small Round Damson') was a traditional cultivar with small, black fruit, being probably very close to wild specimens. 'Common Damson' (syn. Most damsons are of the “clingstone” type, where the fle… The most likely cause is that something on your server is hogging resources. • If you can't find damson or prune plums, substitute the slightly sweeter red or black plums and use 2 tablespoons lemon juice in place of wine (for greater acidity). Damson pie recipe. [7] One commonly stated theory is that damsons were first cultivated in antiquity in the area around the ancient city of Damascus, capital of modern-day Syria, and were introduced into England by the Romans. [20] The fruit of the damson can also be identified by its shape, which is usually ovoid and slightly pointed at one end, or pyriform; its smooth-textured yellow-green flesh; and its skin, which ranges from dark blue to indigo to near-black depending on the variety (other types of Prunus domestica can have purple, yellow or red skin). [18] A favourite of early colonists, the tree has escaped from gardens and can be found growing wild in states such as Idaho.[19]. These tart plums taste excellent when transformed into jams and other damson preserves. As a result, the web page can not be displayed. Sharp and deeply flavoured, in my opinion they make the very best chutney you can eat, and the strongest flavoured plum jam. • Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. This page was last edited on 22 November 2020, at 04:53. However, a 2005 report for conservancy body English Nature could find no documentary evidence within the dyeing industry that damsons were ever a source of dye, noting that use of natural dyes declined rapidly after the 1850s,[16] and concluded that "there seems no evidence that damsons were used extensively or techniques [for using them] developed". A limited number of damson stones left in jam is supposed to impart a subtle almond flavour,[51] though as with all plums damson stones contain the cyagenic glycoside amygdalin, a toxin. Damson gin is made in a similar manner to sloe gin, although less sugar is necessary as the damsons are sweeter than sloes. Learn how to cook great Damson pie . Some varieties of damson, however, such as "Merryweather", are sweet enough to eat directly from the tree, and most are palatable raw if allowed to fully ripen. They have thick, dark blue, bloomy skins that are rich in acrid tasting tannins. Damson Jelly. While the damson plum is quite sour and not much fun to Good appetite! No currant wine can equal it."[53]. The cultivars 'Farleigh Damson'[24] and 'Prune Damson'[25] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The smart and simple recipe can be prepared in less than twenty minutes. [52] Damson wine was once common in England: a 19th-century reference said that "good damson wine is, perhaps, the nearest approach to good port that we have in England. Several cultivars have been selected, and some are found in Great Britain, Ireland and the United States. Wild varieties are extremely tart, and so are best relegated to the jam jar. [12], In addition to providing fruit, the damson makes a tough hedge or windbreak, and it became the favoured hedging tree in certain parts of the country such as Shropshire and Kent. You can cook up slightly larger or smaller batches than the one posted here.) Vibrant - The first European plum to be harvested, the Vibrant is a beautiful plum with a violet-blue skin and amber flesh. The initial connection between Cloudflare's network and the origin web server timed out. Damson Paste is a community recipe submitted by mounty and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe. Additional troubleshooting information here. Plants for his grandsons.”[citation needed]. [21] Most damsons are of the "clingstone" type, where the flesh adheres to the stone. Just place it in the jar, shake and wait. Damson Plum Jam: 6 cups prepared plums; 4 cups sugar ; Measure the plum puree into a large heavy-bottomed pot. Although they all bear the same basic type of fruit, their taste varies from tart and spicy, to sweet and perfumed. Description/Taste Blue Damson plums are a small variety approximately the size of a large cherry. Crecipe.com deliver fine selection of quality Damson plums recipes equipped with ratings, reviews and mixing tips. There are still relatively few varieties of damson, with The Garden recording no more than "eight or nine varieties" in existence at the end of the 19th century;[23] some are self-fertile and can reproduce from seed as well as by grafting. Gluten-free . They are, however, commonly used to make jams and to produce an alcoholic beverage known as slivovitz. Damsons are relatively small ovoid plum-like fruit with a distinctive, somewhat astringent taste, and are widely used for culinary purposes, particularly in fruit preserves and ja… Usually, the skin of a damson plum is highly acidic. The main characteristic of the damson is its distinctive rich flavour; unlike other plums it is both high in sugars and highly astringent. [49] Bullaces can usually be distinguished from damsons by their spherical shape, relatively smooth stones, and poorer flavour, and generally ripen up to a month later in the year than damsons. [46] Local types of English prune such as the Gloucestershire 'Old Pruin', are sometimes described as damson varieties. [22] Most individual damson varieties can be conclusively identified by examining the fruit's stone, which varies in shape, size and texture. Additional troubleshooting information here. https://www.thespruceeats.com/low-sugar-fresh-fruit-jam-recipes-1135422 Have made damson chutney and plum jam but still have a freezer full of fruits to use. insititia, or sometimes Prunus insititia),[1] also archaically called the "damascene",[2] is an edible drupaceous fruit, a subspecies of the plum tree. Damson slump. Thus, damson plums are rarely eaten as-is. The pulp goes back into the plum mixture. All these have their uses, so the final choice is usually a personal one. The fruit is therefore most often used for cooking, and is commercially grown for preparation in jam and other fruit preserves. Vegan . And the more viscous it is, the more it will cling to, for example, vanilla or nut ice-cream, duck, venison or anything else you would like to glaze with the rich flavour of damson. The tree blossoms with small, white flowers in early April in the Northern hemisphere and fruit is harvested from late August to September or October, depending on the cultivar. Fruit was beginning to fall. (For every cup of prepared plums, add 2/3 cup of sugar. In a large stainless-steel or enameled saucepan, combine the sugar and water and stir till the sugar dissolves. (I had 4 cups of plum juice, 4 cups of sugar and 2tsp of citric acid) The damson was introduced into the American colonies by English settlers before the American Revolution. 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