A Damson conversion
Last year I had an interesting job. I was working away long hours on an industrial estate in Kent. One of the few beautiful things about it was a hidden patch of waste ground near the Premier Inn and behind a weapons manufacturer. I discovered it by following an overgrown footpath sign, and there, sandwiched between an A-road, a railway line and an industrial estate, was the ancient, overgrown garden of a manor house.
By waste ground I mean, of course, the natural world.
![Kent - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Damsons-The-Hall-of-Einar-2-725x544.jpg)
The house was long gone, but the moat and a long fish pond still remained.
![Kent - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Damsons-The-Hall-of-Einar--725x544.jpg)
The 13th Century moated settlement had a grand house which had been purposely demolished to reuse the building materials in a grander house. All that was left was a moat and a fishpond and the outline of an ornate water garden. Deep within the overgrown ruins I found a large stand of Damson bushes. They were bursting with deep, luscious fruit.
![Damsons - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Damsons-The-Hall-of-Einar-8693-544x725.jpg)
I love the bloom on Damsons. They appear such a delicate shade of blue because of the waxy coating on them.
![Damsons - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Damsons-The-Hall-of-Einar-8438-725x544.jpg)
I picked several boxes full. In fact, I picked as much as time, the sunset and the size of my boot would allow.
![Damsons - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Damsons-The-Hall-of-Einar-8763-725x544.jpg)
Knowing it would be a while before I had enough time to do something properly with them, I cleaned them all and froze them.
One weekend, I had enough time and so it became a jam-making jamboree.
The frozen damsons had a frosted bloom to replace their waxy one.
![Damsons - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Damson-The-Hall-of-Einar-2071-725x725.jpg)
I remember the day I first decided to make jam; I went shopping for my maslin pan. I was very pleased with myself that I remembered it was called a maslin pan. It’s important to know the right lingo, isn’t it? I was a deep shame that when I went into the shop I saw a large sign saying ‘jam bucket’ in the jam-making section.
![Damsons - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Damson-The-Hall-of-Einar-2073-725x544.jpg)
For some reason my thermometer has distracting messages about hard crack and soft balls. There’s no mistaking the 105 degrees jam line, though.
I found that I like Damsons raw, especially warm straight from the tree. I don’t mind the sourness. However, when combined with sugar and heated, their taste has such a punch, it’s delicious.
![Damsons - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Damson-The-Hall-of-Einar-2070-725x725.jpg)
It worked a treat. Now I just need to decide who gets a precious jar.
Who would have thought you could put so much love in a jar?
![Damsons - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/My-Post-34-725x379.jpg)