Rumtopf

Derf's Note:

Rumtopf is a traditional German delicious fruit preserve.It works with any combination of ripe fruit. Both my grandmother and mother used the 2nd method described, with A Rumtopf crock, traditionaly every summer and we always enjoyed it at Christmas. I still have their crock, but have only made it once. (maybe next summer) Prep time is for refrigerating.

• Total Time: 3120 hrs
• Prep Time: 3120 hrs
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 2 half ga ...

• 12 cups sugar (about 5 1/2 lbs)
• 3 cups water
• 4 ½ quarts golden rum (buy two 1.75 liter and one 750 milliliter bottles) or 4 ½ quarts light rum (buy two 1.75 liter and one 750 milliliter bottles)
• 5 lbs large peaches , peeled,halved and pitted
• 4 ½ lbs green seedless grapes , stemmed
• 3 ½ lbs pears , peeled,halved and cored
• 3 lbs red seedless grapes , stemmed
• 15 dark sweet cherries

Directions:

1. In a 8 quart stockpot, combine sugar and water.
2. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. Continue to cook until temperature reaches 235 degrees, stirring occasionaly to prevent sugar from crystallizing on sides of pot.
4. Cool slightly, then gradually stir in rum until blended.
5. Set aside.
6. In a rumtopt crock, or if you don't have one, a clean wide-mouth 2 1/2 gallon jar, arrange fruit in layers, making sure to pack jar tightly.
7. Ladle syrup into jar, covering fruit completely.
8. Wipe rim clean with damp cloth and seal jar.
9. Store in refridgerator at least 2 months before serving.
10. As time passes, the fruit will absorb the rum syrup and float in the solution.
11. The rumtopf can also be made gradually, by making the rum syrup in advance.
12. As fruit ripens in the summer a layer of it is added to the crock, covered with the rum syrup and covered, until the next fruit came into season and another layer was added, until fall when the crock was well packed with layers of several different fruits.
13. the crock was sealed each time a layer was added with a tight fitting lid and with sacking covering the lid and tied around the neck.
14. It was stored in a cold dark place in the back of the basement or in a root cellar.
15. It was always ready to serve at Christmas time.
16. Ours always had peaches, pears, plums, apricots, cherries and sometimes grapes.