Sweet Cherry Salsa, Plus Our Favorite Cherry Pitters

Flathead Cherry Season is upon us, and every day we get asked "do you have cherry pitters." The short answer is yes, but the long answer is we have a cherry pitter to suit every need. The right pitter for you depends on the quantity of cherries you'll be pitting, your tolerance for messy clean-up, and your own ergonomic needs. Here's our run down of the best cherry pitters!

If you're a cherry enthusiast, but don't find yourself with pounds and pounds to pit, the OXO Cherry & Olive Pitter is a storage friendly solution. It takes up minimal space in your drawers, but quickly and cleanly pits cherries (and olives) one by one. The mechanism is easy to use, but not our top pick for someone with any hand or wrist related issues that would make repetitive squeezing painful.

Next up, the OXO Quick Release Multi-Cherry Pitter is the next step up, and designed to make pitting larger batches a breeze. Pit six cherries simultaneously all with one action, and catch the pits in the easy-to-remove tray that holds up to 75 pits at a time. This is an ergonomic solution for the cherry enthusiast you find themselves pitting multiple pounds a time.

But, if you're cherry-needs are serious, we recommend Gefu's Cherry Pitter. Fill the upper hopper with cherries and depress the plunger to remove pits. The pit falls into the large collection chamber, and the fruit slides down the side into a separate bowl. I use the Gefu Cherry Pitter when I get a good crop off my pie cherry tree and it is fast and easy! Prepare for a little extra cherry-juice splatter, but for the ease and speed the trade off is absolutely worth it.

Now that you have all those cherries pitted, let's make a quick cherry salsa! Fruit salsas are one of my favorite condiments to pair with grilled fish or shrimp, and this cherry salsa is no exception. Or simply serve with tortilla chips!