Super Easy Damson Jam Recipe!

 

Damson Jam Recipe

How to Make Turkish Style Damson Plum Jam (Mürdüm Eriği Reçeli)

Making homemade jam is a traditional event and is a super fun activity for the Turkish people. Summer is about over and Autumn season is just coming. Time is "Homemade Damson Jam" time. In last week, we made our homemade damson jams in our kitchens. Actually, when the Autumn comes, all green grocers, markets and bazaars turn into colorful dress. You can find ripen and juice tomatoes for the homemade tomato paste or capia pepper for the pepper paste or many different vegetables (such as cucumber, cabbage, cauliflower, unripmellon etc.) for the Turkish Pickles easily in the markets, grocerries and bazaars. Also you can find many different fruits for the homemade jams.   

In this post, we are going to share our "Homemade Damson Jam Recipe" with you. Damson plums are a beautiful and delicious fruit from a bygone era and they are often hard to find in this modern age. But, especially in September, you can find it very easily in the markets, groceries and bazaars in the Anatolia (Turkey). Damson plums are small seed (stone) fruits that typically ripen here in Anatolia (Turkey) from August to early September. 

According to historians; damson plums are a European variety of plum that originated in England and around the Black Sea. But some historians claim that this fruit has existed unaltered for thousands of years, and gets its name from Damascus - Syria (likely where it originated). The fruit was eventually taken to Italy, then spread to the rest of the Europe and parts of North America, where it now grows wild and in home orchards. 

Damson plums are small, round and dark purple with intense colour and flavour. which makes them perfect for jams, jellies and preserves.

Turkish Style Damson Jam

How to Make Turkish Style Damson Jam!

You can eat this fruit raw, straight from the tree (as we did it at last week in our friend's garden) -- but you might not want to. Damson plums have a more pungent, sour flavor than other plums. Most people prefer to bake with damson plums or to make jam, marmalade, jelly or preserves.

There are a few differences between damson plums and other types of plums. First, the taste - as we mentioned above, damson plums have a stronger, more tart flavor than the other plums. Damson plums are also significantly smaller than a standard green, red or black plum, and have an oblong-oval shape, rather than the rounder shape of a regular plum. 

While the damson plum is quite sour and not much good (fun) to eat raw it makes an excellent jam rich in flavour and a deep claret colour. Due to its high pectin levels, it is also easy to make and to get to set. 

How to Check the Ripeness of Your Damson Plums! 

When the September month comes, we make this jam in our kitchens. This recipe is really so easy and simple, not complicated. when you make this jam, good quality and ripe damsons plums are so important. Just watch out! When you pick your jam's damson plums from the markets or groceries; So how to check the ripeness of your damson plums? Damson plums are ripe when if you press then they give a little and are slightly soft and not too hard (and of course not too soft). Just press them lightly to see.

Good quality and ripen damson plums are important!

Is Your Damson Plum Jam Too Firm!

Due to damson plums having a high pectin content they are easy to get to set. It is possible however that they set a bit too well. You can avoid this by increasing the amount of water or by being extra careful about the length of time you allow them to be at the set point.

Also, we often use lemon salt, because it makes your jam shiny and by the help of lemon salt, you can save your damson plum jam for a long time in your pantry. If you want, you can use lemon juice instead of the lemon salt. And we use alittle butter for the decreasing foam, when your jam boiling.

Recipe for Turkish Style Damson Jam!

We consume this delicious jam throughout the year. Especially we love it in breakfast. This tasty and easy to make damson jam goes well in this autumn with your toast or scones. Also, many our friend who live in England (U.K.), mentioned that British people love it so much and they consume this unique jam in breakfast, in lunch and in dinner.

Here it is our Turkish style damson plum jam Recipe;  

Serve: 2 Half pint jars, Preparation Time: 50-60 minutes, Cooking Time: 45-50 minutes, Cuisine: Mediterranean/Anatolian Cuisine, 

Very good family favourite;

Ingredients: 1 kg damson plums.

Ingredients: 3 cups granulated sugar, if you want
You can add more sugar in it.

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon lemon salt or 1/2 lemon juice.

Ingredients: 1/2 lemon juice or 1 Teaspoon lemon salt.

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon butter for decreasing foam.

Ingredients: 1 or 2 Cups water.

Firstly wash your plums and then cut them
into halves or quarters

Then place them into pot.

Then add 1 cup granulated sugar over it. 

Then place the mixture pot overnight or 5 hours
Your plums release their juice during this time. 

If your plums dont release their juice, you can add
extra water when mixture boiling. 

If your plums juice alot, you dont need to use water
 when cooking the jam

Then add 1 teaspoon butter into mixture and
 cook them for about 40 minutes. (Butter decrease the foam)

During the cooking process, keep stirring to avoid over boiling

Remove the foam or scum, if it happens.

We generally use wooden spoon for stirring

Lastly add a teaspoon lemon salt. It makes your jam shiny
 and you can save your jam for a long time

Or add 1/2 lemon juice into mixture. It makes your jam shiny
 and save your jam for a long time

Keep cooking and stirring for about 10 minutes.

Let jam mixture for a while and
 after cooling pour it into glass jar.

Damson Jam goes well with on icecream topping
 and with Turkish baklava dessert

Ingredients:

• 2 Half pint jars, in this recipe, we used small ones, (Remember to sterilize your jars funnel and lids. Keep the jars warm ready for jam),
• 1 kg damson plums, (after removing the seeds -stones-, you can get nearly 600-650 gr damson plums),
• 3 Cups granulated sugar (nearly 600-650 gr), if you love more sugary jam, you can add extra granulated sugar,
• 1 or 2 Cups water, 
• 1/2 Teaspoon lemon salt or 1/2 lemon juice, (we often use lemon salt, because it makes your jam shiny and also by the help of lemon salt, you can save your jam for a long time in your pantry),
• 1 Teaspoon butter, (For decreasing foam, when your jam boiling), 

Preparation: 

1. First of all, put your all ingredients on the work table. Secondly, wash your damson plums. If you have picked them yourself double check of any holes or blemishes and remove the debris and stalks etc. Then, If you are using a knife to remove the seeds (stones), remove them from the plums and cut into halves (or quarters). Then, layer your plums and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan overnight (your damson plums release their juice until the morning, if not, add extra water when cooking). 
2. The following day place the damson plums in a medium size pot and add rest of the sugar and 1 teaspoon butter (it helps to decrease foam, when your jam boiling). Then, start cooking mixture of Damson plums and sugar on medium heat and stir with the wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves (melts). If it happens, remove the scum or foam from the surface. Keep cooking the jam mixture for about 40 minutes or until the your damson plums has completely fallen apart and stirring continuously to avoid boil-overs. 
3. Then, add the lemon salts and stir (if you want, you can add lemon juice). And continue cooking the jam until it reaches gel stage (it takes nearly 10 minutes). 
4. Then, remove the damson plums pot from the heat and cool for a few minutes, Lastly, pour your damson plum jam carefully into clean glass jars. Close the lid and let it cool. Then, store in a dark and cool place or store in the refrigerator. 
5. You can serve damson plum jam as an ice cream topping with Turkish homemade baklava dessert or on biscuit topping or on cookies topping. 

Enjoy! 

Please let us know how this "Turkish Style Damson Plum Jam (Mürdüm Eriği Reçeli) Recipe" turns out for you in the comments. We are always so eager to hear from you.

Damson Plum Jam Recipe

You may like our;

• How-to-make-home-made-sour-cherry-jam,
  
• How-to-make-super-tasty-homemade-orange-jam,
  
• How-to-make-easy-homemade-quince-jam,
  
• How-to-make-super-easy-homemade-peach-jam,
  
• How-to-mke-homemade-fresh-apricot-jam,
  
• How-to-make-homemade-strawberry-jam,
  
• Erzincan-delight-cookie-recipe.
  

Breadvesalt@gmail.com