Preparation

Wash, remove pits and stems from all fruits. Fruits with skins like peaches, apricots, plums, mirabelle plums will have to be blenched in boiling water for a few seconds to remove skin easily. Cut large fruit in cubes leave smaller fruit in whole. Peel pears, remove core, cut in cubes. Remove core and skin from pineapple and cut in cubes. Cut grapes in halves.

Weigh fruit and note fruit weight, add to Rumtopf, add 1/2 fruit weight of sugar sprinkled evenly on the fruit. Pour good quality high-proof dark rum over fruit so that rum is about 1/2 inch (1cm) higher than the fruit. Fruit may have to be weighed down with a small plate if it starts to float. Tie a linen cloth over the opening of the container and store Rumtopf in fridge or cold cellar in a dark place until ready to use. Keep adding more fruit throughout the summer keeping in mind the fruit to sugar ratio as well as that the rum has to at all times remain above fruit by 1/2 inch (1cm). Before adding the next fruit batch stir the previous fruit carefully first.

After adding the last fruit in fall remember to let fruit rest for another 4-6 weeks before consumption. More rum may need to be added occasionally to retain proper level.

Enjoy fruit over vanilla ice-cream on a cold winter day or at Christmas time. Remember fruits will have absorbed the alcohol very well at this point.

Fruit Seasons:

May - June: Strawberries

June - July: sweet and sour cherries, pitted

July - August: raspberries, black berries, blueberries, currant, apricots or peaches (pitted, skinned, cut in cubes)

August - September: plums or mirabelle plums (pitted, skinned)

September - October: pineapple, peeled, core removed, cut in cubes

October - November: pears, pitted, core removed, peeled

may need to add more rum and let fruit soak in cool place for another 4 weeks after adding last fruit





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