How to pit a cherry (without a pitter)

It's prime season to get your antioxidant kick from fresh cherries, so you've gone out and bought a bunch from your local farmers market.

Another good thing: Oxo has come up with a pitter that makes cherries (and olives) easy to pit. The best part is it's rubber handle and the splatter shield to help protect your clothes from the juice. Just toss it in the dish-washer when you're finished ($12 at William Sonoma).

Hey, for only $12, it's really worth the purchase ... however, it's Saturday morning and you don't have a cherry pitter on hand, but you do have cherries and you're ready to make a cherry tart right now. In this case, there are two ways that I know how to pit a cherry:

1. Hammer a nail (make sure it's clean) through a board (also clean) so that the point sticks out. Push the cherry on to the point of the nail so that the pit pops through the other side.
2. Open a paper clip into a skinny "S" shape. Push the top of the S into the cherry and hook the pit with the hook and yank it out. Use the larger side for bigger cherries and the smaller side for the small ones. This is slow but you'll get the hang of it, and it has the advantage of only puncturing the cherry on one side.

Tip: Save those cherry pits and The New Homemaker will show you how to make your very own heating/cooling pillow!

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