Hi FL, I picked my crop of damsons last night (ahead of heavy rain forecast for today and they were right) - the best since I've had the tree (7 years) and got 8.5kg off a small tree!
I'm going to give some away, and make some jam, but I'd like to make a tangy/spicy sauce to have with cold meat, or a chutney, so if anyone has a recipe, I'd really appreciate that.

I can personally recommend this recipe, Heather.: [www.deliaonline.com]
Lynne2

Damson plums are exquisite...lucky you, Heather. I would make Delia's recipe if I had them!

Thanks Lynne2 - that's looks exactly like what I'm after - yum! Though leaving it alone for 3 months is a bit hard lol.
Yes I'm quite chuffed Stephanie by such a big crop. Not many Aussies here have even heard of damson plums - they must be quite an old-fashioned fruit. I've given some to a chef friend - a fellow ex-pat from Hamilton, and his eyes lit up!

I note that Delia says to cook the fruit in vinegar and then remove the stones wearing rubber gloves. In my experience, once the stones separate from the fruit, they rise to the surface and can be skimmed off with a slotted spoon. Once the chutney is ready , just keep an eye open when bottling for the odd stone that may have been missed.

Or you can count the plums before starting and then count the number of stones retrieved, looking for any that haven't come to the surface.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2016 09:59PM by Lorna.

Thanks Lorna - I did notice that too. When I've made the jam in the long distant past, I've skimmed the stones off. I don't know about the counting though - I'm a bit OCD with that sort of thing and if I got interrupted or lost count, I'd probably be there forever rofl!

I doubt that I waited 3mths before opening a jar of the first batch I made Heather, but I can understand the sense in letting it mature for a reasonable time. It is probably the best chutney I've ever made in terms of the intensity and depth of flavour. The current jar I have open is 2 yrs old and it's sublime. I used large Vegemite jars with screw on plastic lids which are super airtight, so the quality and texture is well preserved. I have 2 jars left and a bag of damsons in the freezer so thanks for prompting me to replenish the stock.

I just skimmed the stones which floated to the top. So you might miss a few, but you'll soon find them when you serve the chutney - no big deal.
Lynne2



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2016 09:16AM by Lynne2.