The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Fruit => Topic started by: Womble on August 22, 2013, 10:12:30 pm
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I don't know what first reminded me of this, but when I was a kid, my parents had a large earthenware "Rumtopf" jar which they kept on a high shelf in the kitchen. As various soft fruits ripened over the summer in the garden, a layer of each was poured into the jar and covered in sugar and rum. These were supplemented with fruit bought in on offer from the market such as peaches, plums etc.
By Christmas, this had melded into what I remember being a rather heady mixture of fruit, sugar and alcohol (which by rights I was far too young to appreciate, naturally! :roflanim: ).
Anyhow, I found a jar for sale on Ebay in exactly the same design as my parents used to have. It arrived today - in perfect unused condition, complete with original 1980s style instruction manual! ;D
So, does anybody else preserve fruit in rum, and before we start our first rumtopf in 25 years, have you got any tips? :thumbsup:
Cheers!
Womble.
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iv got one! my parents used it alot when we lived i germany. i can almost remember the smell!
i tried to make elderflower wine in it but wasnt a vacuum lid so went mouldy :-[
i really should do something with it as its sat there empty for 30 years!
any recipes?
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I just used a nice china jar with a big cork to seal the lid. Most soft fruits are good, the sort you would put in a summer pudding, but peaches are good too. As are stoned cherries. You might be a bit late for a lot of the fruit this year. You can do it with brandy as well as rum.
Then serve with a nice home made vanilla ice cream.
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Grew up with the stuff... And made some here, too - had to bring in the rum from Germany, though, as they don't sell the 54% rum here. (Lidl did once, several years ago - but only once.)
You don't need a recipe, really. Use half to same amount of sugar as fruit, brown or white (I prefer it less sweet) - make sure fruit is sound, clean and dry when you add it - use 54% rum if you can (better keeping quality - you could also add some pure alcohol to make up the percentage, but then that's difficult to get in Britain, too...).
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I've got a Rumtopf pot that my mum got me years ago. Always meant to use it so this has reminded me (meantime my baking supplies have been kept in it). Mine is not airtight though - is that vital?
Also interested on the sugar/alcohol balance. I've been trying to perfect figs in brandy for my parents who love figs (in contrast to us who don't but produce lots of them). I'll try and get this alcohol/sugar mix - we must have some higher proof alcohol in the UK, surely?
H
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If it just has a china lid, like mine - I suggest you try to seal it with either cling film first, or a rubber ring type thing to stop fruit flies getting in. Just starti g mine this week - I know I am late but I have so many plums and raspberries that I have to preserve them any way I can and my freezer is full! :excited:
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Is it ok to use white rum
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Anything that is 40 percent will do the job - mine is in vodka because that is all I had!
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I managed to get wrays and nephew rum 63% abv from tesco