Sometimes, when we were kids, my cousins and I got to have boozy fruit on our pudding. Those must have been days that Oma REALLY needed a bit of rest. The big stone Rumtopf crock would come up from the Keller, and when Oma opened it, we would peek inside to see the soaking fruits. mmmmmmmm. Germans don’t like waste, so fruit to preserve fruit that wasn’t eaten or turned into jam or stuck in the deep freeze might have ended up in there. Strawberries, Cherries, peach slices, and more, all macerating in sugar and rum. Learning how to make a Rumtopf is EASY!
How to make a Rumtopf
A Rumtopf is a clay jar (or sometimes glass) filled with fruit, sugar, and rum. The whole mass sits for at least 4-6 weeks, and then you can enjoy the augmented fruits on your puddings, ice cream, or just straight out of a dish. It is a delicious way to preserve summer fruit.
Traditionally, you start preserving fruit in the summer to enjoy during the holidays. You can start your Rumtopf in May or June with fresh strawberries and then keep adding more fruits as they ripen. Or stick with just one fruit or even make a few Rumtopf to get different flavors.
Thanks to the abundance of fresh fruits in our Grocery Stores and Farmer’s Markets, it’s never too late or too early to start a Rumtopf. That way, even on the dreariest days of Winter, there is a bit of sunshine in your dessert. Just make sure your fruit is RIPE. It tastes better if the fruits are at the peak of sweetness.
How to Make a Rumtopf- A Delicious Way to Preserve Summer Fruits!
Ingredients
- Stoneware Pot with a Lid
- Fresh Fruit
- Sugar 1/2 pound for each pound of fruit
- 100-110 proof Rum not spiced or flavored
Instructions
- Put the fruit in the Pot with the sugar. For each pound of fruit you want to add ½ pound of sugar.
- Add enough Rum to the pot to cover the fruit by 1 inch.
- (You can add the fruit all at once, or add layers of fruit as you get them… even weeks later. Just remember to add more sugar and more rum to cover. Remember, if you add more later, you get to add 4 more weeks. )
- Cover the pot with plastic wrap (to prevent evaporation) then top with the lid.
- Store in a cool dark place… the refrigerator is ok.
- Wait 4 -6 weeks for the flavors to ripen (yes, it’s ok to taste from time to time to see how it’s coming along)
- Eat!
Notes
Best Fruits for Rumtopf
Cherries
Grapes
Strawberries
Raspberries
Red Currants
Gooseberries
Pineapple chunks
Pear Slices
Nectarine and Peach slices
Plum and Apricot halves.
Peaches are best without the peel, but don’t worry about peeling apricots and plums
Remember to remove stems and pits before adding fruit to the pot!
Don’t Use these Fruits in your Rumtopf
Apples (they get a funny texture),
Melon (too watery)
Rhubarb (sour)
Citrus (too sour)
and especially… NO BANANAS (mushy yucky).
And just be aware! Blackberries or Blueberries (will turn everything purple)
Serve your fruits over ice cream, pudding for Nachtisch, on waffles or even as a side dish for game.
Buy Vintage German Rumtopf Pots…
The Rumtopf pots come in an incredibly variety of shapes and styles. The most important is that the lid closes, and that the contents be kept dark (if you use a glass jar, it must be kept in a dark place). You can find more Rumtopf pots here
RUMTOPF punch pot 4.5 liters with fruit motif, punch bowl, summer punch, pop art design, May punch pear apples WGP ceramic pot
Rumtopf West Germany Pottery Jar, Grape and Peach Design Red and Black, RUMTOPF Vintage Vase, Rumtopf West Germany PotteryVintage West German Rumtopf, Fruit Motif Ceramic Fermentation Jar, Embossed Rum Pot With Lid, W. Germany Marked, White Glazed Ceramic DecorVintage Rumtopf Crock Blue Ceramic Canister with Lid Made in Germany, Fermenting Cannister, Marzi & Remy, 1960s Crock
Vintage Ceramic RumtopfVintage Ceramic RumtopfVintage West Germany Scheurich ceramic rumtopf wgp 826-36
New Ceramic or Glass Pots
Every year I want to make a Rumtopf and I forget about it. I don’t have the right Rumtopf,but I can do it in a crock pot.