Sunday, September 16, 2012

Cherries and the Pits


     When I was growing up my Grandparents had a cherry tree in their back yard that would have zillions of cherries on it every fall.  Grandma and Grandpa would pick them and then make pie.   The few times I was at their house during cherry time I honestly thought the cherries were too sour for my taste.  Now that they are both dead I can honestly say I never was too impressed with their pie.  Low and behold when I was offered a FREE case of cherries the fact that I wasn’t a big cherry fan didn’t deter me.  I gave an enthusiastic hell yeah and snatched them right up.  After all, I have two kids to feed.  Surely one of them would like them, right?

       When I got the box home, I hurriedly dug out a cherry and was delighted to discover it was really sweet and delicious!  Who would have thought it?  I have never made a cherry pie, or cherry anything but with a whole case at my disposal I was determined I was going to bake something filled with cherries and not have them go to waste.  I had visions of cherry pie and cherry cobbler dancing in my head.  All I needed was a good recipe.  I started researching pie recipes and realized every single one had almond extract in it.  I didn’t have almond extract, so I decided to find a cherry cobbler recipe instead.  After consulting Betty Crocker, where else can a computer savvy girl go?  You got it, I googled it and found a great cherry cobbler recipe which happened to include ingredients that I already had on hand.  





         After a late breakfast I asked my daughter if she wanted to help me make cherry cobbler.  I knew she would because she absolutely loves to help in the kitchen.  It didn’t take long to realize I had overlooked one very important fact.  I didn’t know how to get the pits out of the cherries and since I don’t own a cherry pitter I found myself once again in front of my computer.  While surfing the internet I found the coolest video that two guys made showing how to make your very own cherry pitter using an old fork.  I made one of their handy dandy DIY cherry pitter’s and we were in business.  Since my daughter soon proved to be the expert at getting the pits out, that became her job.  Her hands and arms quickly covered in red cherry juice and a disgusting looking pile of cherry pits soon formed in front of her as she worked. 
  

          Our handy dandy homemade cherry pitter did the job and after an hour of baking we had a yummy cherry cobbler.  I was amazed how good the cherry cobbler tasted!  Why waste precious money on a high priced cherry pitter when you can make your very own at home using something you already have on hand?  The only downfall I found was that I didn’t know my own strength.  When I used the vise grips to bend the tines down they broke off completely.  It really didn’t matter much because it is the two tines in the center that are slightly bent at the tips that does the dirty work until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.


14 comments:

  1. Too cool~ I painstakingly pried the pits out of my cherries over summer...this is an excellent idea, and you can bet I'll be using it in the future! Thanks!

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    1. MJ, you are welcome. I was simply amazed when I found the video on You Tube. It worked like a lucky charm! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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    1. Danneromero, the cobbler turned out really good! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  3. I used to love cherries and then I bit into one with a worm.. Never ate another one.. They scare me now! :)

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    1. Mimi, I think that would have done it for me too!! Ewww! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments! ♥

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  4. Wow..I never thought you could make your own pitter...That is cool. I have to try that. I don't use them that often as I hate the idea of another gadget to buy. I never had cherry cobbler, only had peach..Hmmm...Something to try too.

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    1. Winnie, it was amazingly easy!! It was pretty good and I am not big on cherries. Thank you for stopping by to read and comment!

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  5. While I don't mind fresh cherries (must be Washington grown...I'm snobby that way), I don't like cherry anything, not even cherry flavoured candy. Apple cobbler though....om nom nom nom!

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    1. JoJo, I have to agree with you. They were free so I made the best of it and made cobbler. Wasn't bad. I prefer apple too. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments! ♥

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  6. I love cherry anything. Michigan grows some of the sweetest and most delicious cherries in America. I take full advantage of their sweet and succulentness! I even dry them for use in chicken and tuna salad. I find a lot of places to throw in a handful of dried cherries. I love cherries. And that cobbler sounds wonderful. Good ole Betty Crocker.

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    1. Jo, now that sounds good using them in chicken salad. The cobbler turned out pretty good. I found the recipe online. I go to Betty Crocker first for everything, then I look elsewhere. My Better Crocker cookbook looks like it has been through the wars. LOLOLOL Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments! ♥

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  7. thanks for sharing the video to making a cherry pitter ~ that looks doable! i often go to allrecipes.com before marthastewart.com for a recipe. they are also set up for mobile phone viewing, even on non-smart phones which have internet access.

    i appreciate your visit to my blog.

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    1. My heart, you are very welcome. I thought it was pretty nifty and had to share. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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