How to Pit a Cherry (Without a Fancy Tool!)

I love when I find great tips in unexpected places. I came across this one on Lifehacker to pit a cherry using a wooden chopstick and a bottle.

Basically you take a cherry, hold it upside down over the top of the bottle and then poke the cherry pit and stem out with a chopstick. The bottle catches all the pits and stems and you’re left with a whole cherry!

I had never considered getting a cherry picker until my friend Tammy showed me her really cool one that uses a canning jar; a much better tool to pit several pounds for cherry preserves than a handheld model.

I bought some cherries at the neighborhood farmer's market today and tried the technique out.

How to Pit a Cherry (Without a Fancy Tool!)

Ingredients / Tools:

• Empty, clean glass bottle
• Clean wooden chopstick--no splinters!
• Cherries, stems removed

Method:

1. Take a cherry and up it on top the bottle, stem side down.
2. Poke the cherry with the thick end of the chopstick to push the pit out.

The cherries splatter some juice making a bit of a mess, but it works! Not as efficient as a dedicated machine, but just as effective.

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