Topic: Damsons

[Palustris]

Tomorrow we pick the damsons. Not a bad crop, probably about  60+ kilograms, maybe more. Hard to know what to do with them. We are still eating last years jam and drinking the wine( not me I cannot drink alcohol) and there are still a few packs of puree in the freezer. Next year we will probably have none. It all depends on the frost in Spring.  Isn't gardening fun?
Eric

[Colin_Bellamy-Wood]

Hi Eric, how about "Swap Shop"  ???

[Palustris]

Hi, Colin, quick reply! I think it would be a bit hard to send Damsons through the post. THink of the juice dripping out of the envelope, and if The GPO(wahtever it is called now)was as quick as usual they would have either rotted, fermented or grown. Good point though. If anyone is driving past our house they are welcome to pick their own.
Eric.

[allotment_chick]

Hi Eric
How do you do it?  My damson tree is about 8 years old - never had a crop from it.  Flowers beautifully, have seen fruit setting on it, but then......within a week.......ka-boom....nada!  Not even any evidence on the ground that the birds have been pecking the fruilets off.  Can you offer any suggestions?  I susoect my growing technique isn't all it should be  ???

[Palustris]

Sorry, but we do absolutely nothing. The trees are either part of the hedgerow at the front of the garden (along with greengage, wild plums and sloes) or in the little wood which we have at the bottom of the garden. Here they grow in a mixture of broken glass, brick rubble, scrap iron and leaf mold. Underneath the trees are thousands of snowdrops. We only get a crop like this when the conditions are right in Spring. A late frost when the flowers are out and BANG! not a damson to be had in Autumn. Now this is a frost pocket (-8c in the greenhouse 2 years ago) so 1 year in 3 we get nowt. It could be that your tree is getting frost on the blossom. OR it may be young yet (our trees are very old). OR it may be that to get better pollination you need another damson tree nearby. OR it could be a lack of bees at the approprite time. None of which is much use to you, so once again my apologies. :(

[teresa]

Oh Eric

how I envy you.
I have been hunting for damson jam for dad he loves it on bread and butter for breakfeast.
not a sign of damsons around here in Kettering and even tried the farmers markets and nothing.
There is a tree on the next lottie to me but hardly any on it and havent seen the couple for ages think they have given up.
Teresa

[Doris_Pinks]

Teresa, was up at friends just outside of Kettering last weekend, we went for a walk and came back with a bag load of blackberries!! (not damsons I know but the jam is lovely!) Saw masses of sloes on the trees and had mouthwatering thoughts of sloe gin later  ::)on...unfortunately we didn't have time to pick them as well, and they say round here they make better gin if they are picked after the first frost.
I have made some damson jam, someone offered me a bagload and not one to give up anything for free I made jam. Haven't tried it yet, and had never made it before, but it looks good! Hope you find some
Dotty P.

[teresa]

Hi Dotty,

Yes blackberry jam is good and like you I dont say no.
if it comes free it always tastes better.
Damson has an unusal taste mum always made it every year she had the trees but since they moved to us and she passed away we have run out of the reserves. If you can buy the shop bought one it does not taste the same.
Never tried sloes, lots of plums around at the moment oh well just wait.
Teresa

[Doris_Pinks]

Teresa sloe gin is fantastic and VERY easy to make! (If you drink that is!)  Shaken over ice......lovely. Let me know if you want the recipe.

[teresa]

Hi Doris

yes I drink, would love the recipe. ;D
if you put it on the wine page then all can see it. ;)
thanks Teresa