My grandmother had two cherry trees in her backyard. Early summer evenings found my sisters and me sorting, stemming, and pitting cherries to turn into jam, ice cream toppings, and all manner of baked goods. Messy work, cherry pitting. We used our small hands and paper clips.
Decades later, I happily employ a cherry pitter to make quick work of the farmers market cherries now in season. Made by OXO Good Grips, this is one kitchen gadget worth the drawer space. The action reminds me of using a stapler, except this pitter shoots the pit out of the cherry’s interior. There are other styles and brands of cherry pitters, some with large hoppers that hold a lot of cherries at once, but for most home cooking endeavors, the one-at-a-time pitters work well.
