Summer is slowly drawing to a close. The days are getting shorter, the evenings cooler, and it gets dark earlier. And when you leave the house early in the morning, enjoy the first drink of the day on the balcony, or look out over the terrace toward the morning, you feel that fresh breeze that reminds us the warm months are saying goodbye.
It’s that time of year when you enjoy the last sunny hours with a hint of melancholy. At the same time, you prepare for the cosy comfort of the colder season.
It’s time to say farewell to summer and enjoy the transition to autumn.
It’s time to bid goodbye to the hot summer days, when the sun shone until late in the evening, to barbecues, picnics, and balmy nights spent outdoors with friends, a partner, or simply alone, and to prepare for a new seasonal change.
Autumn, a time when new and old longings awaken, longings that only autumn can satisfy. Soon, depending on the region you live in, we will once again be wearing colorful (hand-knitted) scarves. We will step through piles of leaves. We will enjoy the delights of autumn. Let’s not forget the rainy days, which invite you to spend a cosy day on the couch, feet up, snuggled in your favorite blanket.
But what if there were a way to preserve summer? To capture it in a jar? Well, there is — and it’s quite simple. My secret: the Rumtopf, a traditional German Rum Pot.
A Piece of Summer in a Jar: The Rumtopf
This year, I set out to capture the essence of summer: the sun, the warmth, the abundance of fruit — and bring it with me into the colder months. There’s nothing better than a homemade Rumtopf, a true classic! The best connection between both seasons.
When I pour a sip of Rumtopf into a glass, the scent instantly brings back all the summer memories. A whiff of summer happiness in a glass, so to speak. The smell of ripe strawberries, sweet cherries, and juicy berries — all soaked in fine rum. The beauty of the Rumtopf is that it preserves summer not only in taste but also visually. The liquid shimmers a deep ruby red and reminds one a bit of a (liquid) sunset.
What Exactly is a Rumtopf?
As the name suggests, it’s a pot filled with rum. But in truth, it’s so much more. It’s a small culinary work of art that takes weeks to create. Traditionally, you start in late spring or early summer with the first ripe strawberries. Then, as the season progresses, you add more fruits depending on their harvest time. You start with cherries, raspberries, currants, blueberries, mulberries, gooseberries, and blackberries. Even peaches and apricots can be used. Basically, anything the garden (or local supermarket) has to offer in terms of fruits you like.
Each fruit adds a new nuance to the rum, a new layer of flavor. Every ingredient is a memory, a story, a feeling from a special day in summer.
As for the rum, I recommend using one you would enjoy drinking on its own. It does not matter if you prefer white or dark rum — you have to like it. I prefer a flavorful, slightly sweet dark rum. It captures the warmth of summer for me in a wonderful way. The rum should not contain any extra flavors that would overpower the natural taste of the fruit. The rum should be strong enough to preserve the fruit. At least 54% alcohol content is recommended.
The Magic of the Clay Pot
The best container is a clay pot, like the ones used for pickling cucumbers or fermenting chichi and sauerkraut. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than a traditional clay pot for making Rumtopf. These round, often brown pots remind me of earlier times and my grandparents when it was common to store food in earth pits or cool cellars.
It’s important that the lid and the pot can be sealed with a water groove. This allows the contents to breathe without letting in air, which could spoil the fruit. At the same time, the gases from the fermentation process can escape. The result: an explosion of aromas.
A simple recipe guide for Rumtopf, a sugary rum with added fruits:
In essence, it is quite simple to make. Here is a step-by-step guide to inspire you:
⏱️ Prep Time: 5 min per round of fruits
⏳ Resting Time: 60-90 minutes per round of fruits
📆 Waiting time between 4–8 weeks, depending on how many types of fruits you choose to use
Directions:
🍓 First round:
- Wash the fruit and gently dry them with a clean kitchen towel.
- The first fruits are sugared at a ratio of 1:2. That means one portion of fruit and twice the amount of sugar.
- Let it sit covered for 1–2 hours.
- Put the mixture in the pot and cover it with rum. The fruit should be covered with about a finger’s width of rum.
- Some fruits will float. You can weigh them down with a plate or a weight stone, or just let them float. As long as enough sugar and alcohol are used, mold will rarely form.
🍓 🍓 Second round:
- When the next harvest comes, repeat the process, but you can reduce the amount of sugar used
- Use a ratio of 1:1 this time — one portion of fruit and an equal amount of sugar.
- Let it sit. Then add it to the Rumtopf. Top it up with more rum if needed. Add at least a finger’s width more rum so that all the fruit is covered.
🍓 🍓 🍓 Third round (and so on):
- A few weeks/days later, add the next handful of fruit
- I always play around with the ratio of fruit to sugar. Sometimes I use 1:2. Other times I use 1:1. It depends on how sweet I want the final result to be.
⚠️ Things to remember:
- Make sure the water groove on the pot is always filled. Occasionally wipe the groove with vinegar, but be careful not to let any residue water spill into the pot.
- Stir the pot every few days, at least once a week, and check the floating fruits for mould. This is always a good opportunity to sample your product. Decide whether it needs to be more or less sweetened the next time around.
- Only use stainless steel or metal spoons for stirring — never wooden ones.
- Keep everything clean, as you don’t want to spoil your Rumtopf!
A Piece of Summer for Cold Days
Apart from jam, I don’t think there’s a better way to carry summer into the winter. The beauty of Rumtopf is that it acts as a little reminder of the warm season when it’s cold, dark, and grey outside. There’s nothing better than enjoying a glass of Rumtopf. Besides drinking tea, eating warm stews, and savoring the Christmas roast and treats…
The first sip brings back all the memories. The heat of a July afternoon, the buzzing of bees, the humming of wasps, the whine of mosquitoes, the laughter of children splashing in the water, and the snippets of conversation from strangers in beer gardens. And as the rum tingles on your tongue, you close your eyes and, for a moment, you’re back in summer.
For me, Rumtopf, with its unique fragrance, encapsulates memories of warm and already-gone days. It also carries the anticipation of the days that await us in the next summer.
So, if you long for a piece of summer this winter, try it out. Make yourself a Rumtopf. Perhaps, like me, you’ll be enchanted by this old tradition and find your very own summer in a jar. Your trusted supermarket, with its year-round supply of summer fruits, makes it possible to still go on. You can preserve summer, even now.
Dear reader, in case no one has told you today: Summertime will be back! If you know someone who needs a dose of summer, please pass on our recipe and recommend us!
With love,
— Corina —
sown & uprooted
sown & uprooted 
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