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Sunday, July 9, 2017

How do you pit cherries?

Cherries are $1.69/pound! I want to put some up--dehydrate or can.  I tried to pit with a straw. It was too flimsy. I tried another wider diameter straw. I am not strong enough to shove it through. I tried one of the straws that is wide diameter and has a strong wall. The pit goes into the straw and I must stop and dig it out.

On the internet are several ways to pit cherries.
1) Cherry pitter. Do these work for you?
2) Hairpin. Really? I doubt I could hold the tiny pin and do this for very long.  Is this easy?
3)  Chopstick. I hate to put something that can hold germs into fruit I intend to dehydrate. If I were canning, maybe.

Friday night, I was thinking about this and how I pitted cherries in the past. Then, I realized I just pop the cherry in my mouth and pit it with my mouth. hmmm, that won't work now, not for dehydrating.  That ditzy moment was just that, a moment.

What works for you?

I was given Peaches and Cream corn today. I am halfway through shucking it. So, I had better get on with it. I injured my right hand again, so this is slow going. These are the largest, fattest, and most perfect ears of corn. That is what I was thinking as I peeled off the shuck and silks to find a fat worm. Well, Dominique will enjoy it.

Do you ever eat Peaches and Cream corn?

18 comments:

  1. I've wondered that too. I don't want to buy another gadget, but it sure would be nice to preserve the last of the cherries for eating in the winter. I loathe cherry pie filling in cans, but real cherries, delicious.

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    1. Sam,
      I thought I hated cherries since I hate them in fruitcake, fruit cocktail, on top of a sundae, in pies and cobblers. Then, I decided to see why everyone at a party was eating so many fresh cherries. I was hooked.

      Delete
  2. I buy cherries too and freeze them. I have used a cherry pitter but the juice goes everywhere. Also tiring to push the plunger. I find a chopstick works best. I can do it in front of the tv, in dark clothing with latex gloves. Quite a production! That juice stains the hands.

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    1. carol,
      This is what I have heard. My solution to splattering would be to do this in a box or deep bowl. My hand is newly injured, so this all sounds like a painful ordeal. Thanks.

      Delete
    2. Linda, I have seen people use a chopstick ontop of a bottle pushing the pit into the bottle. Possibly you could do this one handed. Sometimes I just give up and freeze them with pits.

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    3. carol,
      I thought of that very thing! Maybe I will try that. NO, it is not a job for one hand. I am just looking for a way that hurts my hands the least. Thanks.

      Delete
  3. I remember my mother had a cherry pitter, which pushed out the pit, one cherry at the time.
    I'm lazy and just eat them/discreetly spit out the pits.

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    Replies
    1. urspo,
      I have eaten cherries for years with no need to pit. I suppose that might be laziness on my part, love eating them. The one cherry at a time sounds like a long, arduous job. I may eat more than I planned...lol.

      Delete
  4. I have a cherry pitter, the stainless one that pits cherries one at a time. It works fine, but after finishing a clamshell of cherries it looks like Vampre Bill was in the room.

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    1. Anne,
      UGH! I don't need that. I just came back from WM. They put all the cherry pitters on markdown and they have no more--right at the peak of cherry season. Maybe it's just as well. Thanks

      Delete
  5. I have a cherry pitter too. Slow and my hand/arm knows about it by the end.

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    1. EC,
      Thanks for the warning. My right hand really hurts right now and gets worse as I use it. Funny thing--typing does not hurt, just gripping.

      Delete
  6. I wouldn't pit them at all. Any way you pit them, it will be very messy.

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    1. T'Pol,
      I want to dehydrate them, so the pit has to come out. I want to put these in the fair and then have them to eat later. You definitely are correct about messy!

      Delete
  7. I have dehydrated without pitting. I just slice around the center of the cherry with a small paring knife, and pull them apart. Of course, then I have cherry halves, not whole cherries. As it turns out, I don't like cherries. I got a flat several years ago for my kids, dehydrated some, made some jam, and put the rest, still with pits, in the freezer. They are still in the freezer. Eventually, I will make more jam with them. I don't mind cherry jam, but do not like the texture of cherries at all.

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    Replies
    1. Meg,
      I decided to just cut them apart and take out the seed. I don't have to have whole cherries. Frozen with the pit causes cherries not to taste right. Thanks.

      Delete
  8. One more method, Linda, put them in a zipper bag and roll them with a rolling pin. You can save the juice and do lots at one time.

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    Replies
    1. carol,
      Then, they would all be mushy. Thanks. I may resort to this.

      Delete

Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.