Rumtopf!!!!

Hey gang! After hearing friends recount the story of Lynne Rossetto Kasper's intriguing description of a rumtopf, I have researched the magical rumtopf and have decided to make one. Here's a photo. I just added some gooseberries which caused the splashes on the side of the jar. I hope I'm doing it right, because as Dad said, "[it] will either turn out to be incredible, or you will poison yourself." I'm paraphrasing. Essentially the rumtopf is seasonal fruits juiced in sugar for an hour or so and then put in the pot and covered with rum. This continues through the year and then sits some time before wintertime consumption (again, Dad commented, "Does your fantasy of this thing include fairies?") So far, "meine Rumtopf hat" strawberries, cherries, and gooseberries.