Rumtopf: German Rumpot Recipe
Serves 1
15 mins prep
15 mins total
Rumtopf is a way to preserve summer's fruit with rum and sugar, a really delicious way if you ask me! It is 'fed' throughout summer with fresh fruit and more rum and enjoyed at Christmas time.
First Feeding
Consecutive Feedings
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Get Everything Ready For Rumtopf
To start, make sure you're using an appropriate container like the glass jar I am using. Ideally it has a tight fitting lid, so a large canning jar works great. If reusing an old canning jar, make sure you clean it out well and replace the rubber gasket before filling it.
Traditionally Rumtopf is prepared in a Rumtopf specific crock that has a wide lid and weights to put on the fruit to keep it from rising. While the glass jar I am using does not come with weights, there are alternative ways to keep the fruit from rising to the surface and spoiling, such as covering the surface in plactic wrap. While I don't love the idea of having plastic swim in my Rumtopf, this seems to be the best way to keep the fruit from rising. You could also fill a plastic bag with water and lay that on top. I'd probably use a thicker freezer bag with a double zip lock just to give me peace of mind that the bag won't leak. You could also try fitting small ceramic plates through the opening of the jar and layering them to cover all of the fruit. I haven't found plates small enough, but I will keep looking and will let you know if I find a good solution.
Once you've gathered a good container to store your Rumtopf, you will need to figure out a good place to store the container in, preferably a dark room that's also cooler if possible. You do not want your Rumtopf to start fermenting. The goal is simply to infuse the rum with the fruit and the fruit with the rum.
The First Rumtopf Feeding
I recommend starting with strawberries. The strawberries need to be flawless, hulled or greens removed and if they are on the larger side, they should be halved, possibly even quartered. Smaller strawberries can be left whole. Combine equal weight of strawberries and sugar (500 grams or 18 ounces each), gently stir to cover all of the fruit in the sugar and then allow to macerate in the fridge overnight to allow some of the juices to extract from the berries before adding it to your Rumtopf crock.
Add the macerated fruit to your Rumtopf and cover in rum leaving about 1 inch or 2 cm of head space above the fruit. For the jar I used, I emptied a 750 ml bottle of STROH rum into the jar, so you'll want to stock up on it in case you need more!
Now cover the surface in plastic wrap and transfer the jar to a dark room or area that's also cooler if possible. If you don't have a dark room, you could keep the jar in a cabinet or closet or throw a dark towel or blanket over it to cover it up.
Consecutive Rumtopf Feedings
Now gradually you will add more macerated fruit and rum as the fruit is harvested month after month. Traditionally, locally available fruit is used, but you could also use more exotic fruits such as mango or pineapple, always making sure you're adding them at peak ripeness and sorting out any fruit that is bruised or compromised in any way. You will also want to peel fruit with thicker skins (apricot, peaches, pears, apples, plums), remove stems and seeds and cut the fruit into bite sized pieces.
After the first 'feeding,' the fruit will only be macerated with half the amount of sugar (e.g. 500 grams of blackberries with 250 grams of sugar). Rum will always need to be added to cover 2 cm/ 1 inch above the fruit, but after the first 'feeding,' I will mix the rum with fresh fruit juice in a ratio of 3 to 1 to bring down the overall alcohol content. Please read my blog post for more info on this; I will keep it updated with what I am adding when and new photos!
Keep It Covered
Remember to keep covering the surface in your Rumtopf and always reseal the jar with a tight-fitting lid. I would replace the plastic wrap with fresh wrap every time you feed your Rumtopf. Also check my blog post for any troubleshooting tips and you can always send a message or leave a comment with any suggestions, ideas or questions.
