Guides to Preserving Peaches, Plums, Berries

Rum pot, rumtopf, brandied fruit, vintage fruit--all are similar methods of preserving the peaches, plums and berries now plentiful in area markets. Many of the recipes originated in Europe, were handed down for generations, then crossed the Atlantic with early colonists.

Referring to them as “recipes” is really an exaggeration. They are actually just guidelines, so don’t hesitate to use your own judgment and add a little more rum if the sugar refuses to dissolve.

It’s difficult to ruin a rum pot, but occasionally it may become sticky-sweet, flat or even stale tasting. Correct these conditions with the addition of a little dry yeast--about 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of fruit mixture. Stir daily and taste after a few days to see if the fruit regains its good flavor.

A few words of caution. Use crockery or glass containers, never metallic, for making and storing a rum pot. Apples, pears and citrus fruit should not be added. Dried fruit may be used in moderation, however, when adding raisins, use only one cup sugar for two cups of raisins.

Begin by pouring a pint of rum into a two-gallon container (Step 1). Add two cups of sugar (Step 2) and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.

Larger fruit, such as peaches and nectarines, should be peeled and sliced; smaller varieties, like plums, quartered, and berries left whole. Add two cups of fruit to the rum and sugar mixture (Step 3).

Cover the container loosely (Step 4) and store in a relatively cool place at least one week, stirring daily, before adding more sugar and fruit. As the rum pot ages, the fruit will shrivel, turn dark and become infused with the sugar and rum.

Once no more fruit and sugar is added, the rum pot will be ready to serve in about six weeks. It may, however, be aged several months. Serve over vanilla ice cream, toasted angel food or pound cake slices or plain custards. Drained fruit can be layered with vanilla pudding in parfaits or used as a trifle ingredient.

PLANTATION RUM POT

2 cups light rum, about

Sugar

Fresh fruit

Pour 2 cups rum into 2-gallon crock. Stir in 2 cups sugar until dissolved. Add 2 cups fruit. Cover with loose fitting lid and let stand 1 week, stirring daily with wooden spoon.

Add 2 cups fruit and 2 cups sugar. Recover and let stand at least 1 week before adding more ingredients, stirring daily.

Continue adding 2 cups each, fruit and sugar, as long as desired or until crock is filled. Should sugar not dissolve, add more rum. Fruit may be used 6 weeks after final addition of fruit and sugar, but may be aged several months.