Chippewa Lake Rumtopf
Last year, 2016, I began reading The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz (what a name, right?!) the book was a gift from my uncle, and that's simply not important to the story. Going through the book, some things stuck out to me: shrubs, kombucha (which I'd already adventured to try), and rumtopfs. Now a rumtopf isn't a fermentation, but it was under the section discussing boozy fruit salads. How does that sound? Going to a picnic, and getting blitzed off the fruit being served from a carved out watermelon. But, I digress. A rumtopf is a German traditional fruit preserve and beverage. The idea is to store the ripening fruit from the year in rum. As the fruit ripens, you add sugar to it, and rum, put it in a crock, and allow it to age until Christmas. Then when all of your family is over to visit, you bring it out in secret and get drunk without having to interact with great aunt Sylvia. Well, I was immediately interested in this tradition. My family is German
