One of the most wonderful things about the summer is the abundance of fresh Bing cherries. Dark and sweet, this cherry is one of our all-time favorite fruits. We've been known to go through bushels of them in a sitting. Another funny story about our older brother growing up (we've told a few of them!)...our grandmother somehow convinced him that if he ever swallowed a pit, a real cherry tree would grow in his tummy. Talk about traumatizing a child...gotta love it, especially as a younger (and often tortured) sibling! Hence, our poor brother, though he loved them, hardly ever ate cherries for fear of what would happen...what a wuss!Our children also love cherries, but have no qualms about recruiting us for cherry pit removal. So, being the ever loving parents that we are, we spend lots and lots of time sitting in front of the television hand-pitting cherries with our sharpest paring knife. Anyone who has kids can probably appreciate our misery. Dissecting cherries one at a time by hand is...well, the pits. There has to be a better way, and so we just decided that it might be time to find ourselves a cherry pitter.
After doing a bunch of research, it looks like Lehman's Best Cherry Pitter is just that...the best. The company boasts how effective it is at removing pits quickly without bruising or crushing the cherries...we're all for less mess and no wasted fruit! It's actually pretty reasonably priced at around $35 also. Basically, the stainless steel punch rod forces the pit through a gasket into the see-through waste container, then automatically lifts the cherry and drops it into the bowl. We love being able to place several cherries into the feed tray, instead of handling them one at a time. Imagine effectively pitting dozens of cherries in just minutes..what an amazing time saver. Plus, the parts are dishwasher safe...who could ask for more?
There is only one possible catch that we can envision with Lehman's Best Cherry Pitter. It's unreasonable to expect perfection each and every time, so we can imagine a cherry or two sneaking into our bowl unpitted. And, assuming that each pitted cherry really does come out whole and virtually undamaged as the company claims, it might be easy to miss a particular cherry that still has a pit inside. Not a huge problem when just eating cherries for their simple enjoyment, but definitely a consideration when baking fresh pies and cobblers for dinner guests. So, we'll just have to put out a small disclaimer, and pray that everyone's dental work is up to date.
Regardless, Lehman's Best Cherry Pitter is worth the risk of an occasional escapee. We'll probably keep a pretty close eye on the hopper to make sure each pit does indeed come out. The best part? This pitter looks safe and easy enough for children to use. Anyone who reads our blog knows we're always looking for ways to put our kids to work...under the guise of fostering independence, of course (sneaky, sneaky)! Ideal for canning, freezing, dehydrating and baking, Lehman's Best Cherry Pitter is a definite "kool" idea for enjoying one of the summer's sweetest treats.
Refreshingly "Kool" Cherry Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/4 lemon, peeled and seeded
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/2 cup sweet red wine
- 2 cups pitted sweet cherries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Chop peeled and seeded lemon into small pieces and blend with water until it forms a smooth pulp.
- Put the lemon pulp, cherries, sugar and cinnamon in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Dissolve the cornstarch with a little water and add with the red wine to the soup mixture.
- Stir constantly over low heat until slightly thickened.
- Cool to room temperature in an ice-water bath, then chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Remove cherries with a slotted spoon and blend until coarsely chopped.
- Stir the cherries back into the soup mixture and serve.
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