I’m thinking of planting a damson tree in the garden too. Had never tried them until I found the above beauties at a local farm shop. A little tart for eating raw, perhaps, but utterly delicious sprinkled with sugar and baked in a cake.
This recipe – damsons replaced the apples.
A Wee Bit of Cooking 
ooh nice! they remind me of some wonderful damsons i had on a farm, i always thought they were bitter but these had been picked that morning and then stewed [with sugar im sure] and then served with creme fraiche ~ absolutely delicious ~ i had a second helping and then more for breakfast but this time with greek yoghurt
Wendy,
Thank you for the lovely recipes and beautiful photographs. Please could you tell me if the dogs Marco and Rufus are working cocker spaniels rather than the show spaniels?
Miriam
delicious!!!!!
susy
Hi Wendy 🙂 Yes, I’m back, after a huge hiatus from blogging and blog reading.
It’s a joy to come back to yours, though. And damson cake? I’m THERE! Will have to satisfy myself with the apple version, though, as I don’t think I’m going to be able to get hold of damsons.
On the other hand, you could post me some 😉
Pippa – I had the rest of them that way exactly!
Miriam – Marco is a show cocker. Rufus (and Zak) are working cockers. Hope that helps. 🙂
Susina – Thank you!
Aforkfullofspaghetti – Hooray! You’re back! Very glad. 🙂
I’ve never even heard of those…are they like plums, perhaps?
I heard of damsons in Darina Allen’s Forgotten Skills of Cooking. They are wild plums, aren’t they? As I understand it, they grow well in the US, so I’m surprised I never had them. I may check to see if they grow in our region.
damsons are marvellous and I love growing things that cannot be easily bought in the shops. If you’re looking for more recipes next year I have a ‘5 ways with a ton of damsons’ post here
http://nipitinthebud.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/five-ways-with-a-ton-of-damsons/
(the jam is fab but the chutney is the prize winner every time)
T – They are a type of plum, indeed. Small, very tart plums. Best for cooking. 🙂
Ozarkhomesteader – They aren’t grown widely in the UK anymore. I was really lucky to find them.
Nip it in the Bud – Superb!! Shall bookmark this right away!
We have several damson trees in the hedgrows around our garden and I make a lot of use of them. They are prolific in Shropshire where they are known as the Shropshire Plum. I use them in any recipe where plums are called for with a bit of extra sugar or honey as they are, as you say, rather tart.
Here’s my recipe for damson jam:
http://hollygrovekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/09/damsons-for-jam.html
I’ll be trying your damson cake next year, as the damson season has passed here.