Instructions

1. 1

   Wash the damsons, let them drain and halve them along the seam. Take out the stones and throw them away, as stone fruit kernels are never cooked with the fruit.

2. 2

   Weigh the flesh and cut it into cubes of about 1 cm so that the jam softens evenly.

3. 3

   Squeeze the lemon. Mix the damsons, lemon juice, cinnamon, clove and the preserving sugar 2:1 in a tall pan and leave covered in a cool place until plenty of juice has been drawn out.

4. 4

   Sterilise four screw-top jars of 250 ml each and their matching lids in a large pan of vigorously boiling water, then lift them out with tongs and let them drain on a clean cloth. Only germ-free jars keep the jam for a long time.

5. 5

   Bring the mixture to the boil while stirring and then let it boil hard at full heat, stirring constantly and skimming off the foam.

6. 6

   If you like, blitz the hot mixture briefly and coarsely with a stick blender; it then stays half chunky and is still spreadable.

7. 7

   For the set test, put a dollop on a cold plate; if it firms up after a minute, the jam is ready. If it stays runny, boil for another minute and repeat the test.

8. 8

   Fill the boiling hot jam into the prepared jars at once, to about 1 cm below the rim, wipe the rims with a clean cloth and screw the lids on tightly straight away.

9. 9

   The jars do not have to be turned upside down; simply leave them standing and let them cool completely. As they cool, the lid pulls audibly inwards.