I used all my damsons to make some 'plum jerkum' which is a traditional warwickshire cider-style drink. And I just bought a 1.5 litre bottle of gin. D'oh I should have kept some damsons for a damson gin. I'll just have to settle for a couple of litres of sloe gin, or maybe some blackberry gin

The recipe I was given was 3lb of plums, 3lb of sugar, made up to a gallon with water. Mash the plums with some of the water, dissolve the sugar in the rest. Mix together and add yeast.

That would make a really potent but also very sweet brew, so I halved the sugar to start with. I'll let it ferment to dryness then might sweeten it afterwards if it needs it. I started it in a small fermenting bucket and after a week I strained the mixture into a demijohn.

Originally the drink would have been made with the Warwickshire Drooper plum but they are quite rare these days.