[Sca-cooks] Damson Plums

[Johnna Holloway]

from Delights for Ladies (England, 1609)

8 - The most kindely way to preserve plums, cherries, gooseberries,  
&c. You must first purchase some reasonable quantity of their owne  
juyce, with a gentle heat upon embers, in pewter dishes, dividing the  
juice still as it commeth in the strewing; then boile each fruit in  
his own juyce, with a convenient proportion of the best refined sugar.

31 - To make Marmelade of Quinces or Damsons. When you have boyled  
your Quinces or Damsons sufficiently, straine them; then dry the pulp  
in a pan on the fire; and when you see there is no water in it, but  
that it beginneth to be stiffe, then mix two pound of sugar with three  
pound of pulp: this marmelade will bee white marmelade: and if you  
desire to have it looke with an high colour: put your sugar and your  
pulp together so soone as your pulp is drawne, and let them both boile  
together, and so it will look of the colour of ordinary marmelade,  
like unto a stewed warden; but if you dry your pulp first, it will  
look white, and take lesse sugar: you shall know when it is thick  
enough, by putting a little into a sawcer, letting it coole before you  
box it.

Or from

  The Treasurie of commodious Conceits which I made available last  
spring (England, 1573 - )
The original source can be found at MedievalCookery.com

Plummes condict in Syrrope Chapter. xv.

TAke halfe a pounde of Suger, halfe a pint of Rosewater and a pinte of  
fayre Raynewater, or of some other distilled water, seeth ye Suger &  
ye two waters vpo a softe fyre of coles, till ye one halfe be  
consumed: the take it fro ye fire & when it leaueth boylig, put therin  
halfe a pound of ripe  Damazines, or other plummes, & let it agayne on  
the embers, & kepe it in the lyke heate tyll the plummes be softe by  
the space of an howre if neede bee, then put into it some cloues  
brused and when it is coulde keepe it in a Glasse, or in an earthen or  
Gallypotte, the stronger the Syrrope is with Suger, the better it wyll  
continew. Some put into the Syrroup Sinimon, Saunders, Nutmegges,  
Cloues, and a little Ginger: seethe them not hastely for feare of  
muche breaking.

OR another from the same source:

To keepe Damsins in syrop. TAke Damsins & picke them wt a knife, or a  
pi the take clarified Suger as much as you shall thinke wil serue &  
then you must boyle it til it be as thick as birdlime: Then boyle your  
Damsins in ye clarified sugre, til they be soft, the take the vp, and  
put them in a glasse, then you must boyle ye syrop, till it be thick  
as ye other was, before you put in ye Damsins, & as soone as it is so  
thick you muste powre it into the Damsins and so couer them close.

Hope this helps

Johnnae


>
>
> On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 5:46 PM, Donna Green <donnaegreen at yahoo.com>  
> wrote:
>
>> I will be getting a good supply of damson plums soon. I will be  
>> making
>> candied plums and jam. Do any of you have any additional suggestions?