Servings
Font
Back
5.0 from 3 votes

Damson Jam

Reduced Sugar Damson Jam, a beautifully sweet and tart homemade jam that is very easy to make with only 3 ingredients. Made with fresh seasonal fruit, this jam can keep well for up to 2 years if stored in a clean, dry place. Quick, delicious, a failproof jam recipe!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 3 jars
Calories: 459 kcal
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

  • 900 g Damsons (2 lb)
  • 250 g caster sugar (1.25 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Rinse the damsons with cold water.
  2. Remove the stones by cutting the damsons in half using a sharp knife, or by squeezing them out if the fruit are very ripe.
  3. Transfer the damsons to a pan set over a low to medium heat, and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the sugar and a teaspoon of lemon juice, give it a good stir, and leave to cook for 40 minutes or until the liquid is reduced stirring occasionally.

Notes

  • Cooking time depends entirely on how ripe the damsons are. Unripe damsons are not only very tart, but don't have enough juice either, so you would have to add water as well as tons of sugar.
  • It is a common misconception that the ration fruit to sugar when making jam should be 1:1. To me, that's way too much sugar, to the point where you cannot taste the fruit anymore, but just sugar.
  • A ripe, naturally sweet fruit does not need that much sugar added to make jam. For my Old-Fashioned Blackberry Jam I used 800 g of sugar for 1.2 kg of fruit, and that was more than enough for that fruit.
  • For this damson jam I used 250 g caster sugar to 900 g damsons. The resulting jam is sweet with a hint of tartness, which I absolutely love. The low sugar jam is actually wonderfully fragrant, but if you'd rather add more sugar, feel free to increase the amount of sugar to whatever you are comfortable with.

Nutrition Information

Calories 459kcal (23%) Carbohydrates 117g (39%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 0.05g (0%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g Monounsaturated Fat 0.4g Sodium 1mg (0%) Potassium 474mg (14%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 113g (226%) Vitamin A 1035IU (21%) Vitamin C 29mg (32%) Calcium 19mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3jars

Amount Per Serving

Calories 459

% Daily Value*

Calories 459kcal 23%
Carbohydrates 117g 39%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.05g 0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g 1%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.4g 2%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Potassium 474mg 10%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 113g 226%
Vitamin A 1035IU 21%
Vitamin C 29mg 32%
Calcium 19mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.