Friday, April 27, 2018
Rumtopf
written by Natasha Goellner
The general rule is that you need both red and dark berries, and stone fruit. Some people add pears. You could also add pineapple, mangos, figs, etc. I would stay away from watery fruits, such as melons. If you want to add bananas, go ahead, it’s your rumpot, and you can do whatever you want. But keep in mind that it might get a bit slimy or completely break down altogether.
Start in early spring depending on where you live, or late winter. Exotic fruit is in season in winter, if you want to include them in your rumpot, you’ll need to start in January. If not, wait until spring and start with strawberries.
Cut your fruit into pieces. I like to keep mine kind of large but they can be cut to any size. If you like them smaller, that’s good too.
Put the fruit into the jar and cover it with a scoop of sugar. I like to just eye it, but if you want to measure, I would say 1 part sugar to 3 parts fruit. Once you’ve added the sugar to the fruit, add enough dark rum to completely cover the fruit. Make sure the fruit is covered! If it is exposed to air, it will start to mold, and you’ll have to throw everything away.
As fruit starts to come into season, just keep adding it to the jar, with more sugar and rum. Check your Rumtopf every couple of days and add rum as needed.
When the holidays roll around, your Rumtopf will be ready. Strain the fruit out of the liquor. Be sure to reserve the liquor. The fruit tastes really good on pound cake and ice cream, and the left over Rum is great for drinking (21 and older of course). Closer to the holidays we’ll share our recipe for Rumtopf preserves, which make a great gift.
