Pitting Cherries with a Pastry Tip

I'm making cherry jam this weekend, thanks to Whole Foods having a one-day-only sale on organic sweet cherries today. After I got home with 8 pounds of cherries, I wanted to prep them by getting the pits out, but was sort of dreading the pitting since I don't have a cherry pitter.

In the past I've never tackled so many cherries at once, so just dug into the flesh with a pairing knife if I needed pit-less cherries. This pairing knife technique didn't sound so appealing with such a large quantity. Then I remembered hearing about a technique using a pastry tip to pit cherries. I have pastry tips!

I know what you're thinking, "If I don't have a cherry pitter, I probably don't have a pastry tip, either." There are various other techniques for pitting a cherry, so be sure to check them out, as well as the quick clip* above of me pitting with a pastry tip.

*Shot impromptu with my phone. Sorry for the quality, or lack thereof.

Sweet and Sour Coleslaw

For a single person that finds it hard to eat vegetables before they go bad, cabbage is a godsend. That head will sit patiently in your crisper bin for a month or more, waiting to be picked up and loved. Just slice off a bit for a small batch of coleslaw one night, and shove the shaved head right back in the fridge for later batches of coleslaw. Small batches also let you experiment with different coleslaw recipes...which is just what I did.

I was looking for a coleslaw recipe unlike one I have had before, and settled on a warm coleslaw with bacon (fake bacon), or a sweet and sour coleslaw with dried cherries. Being as it’s hot as hell, I’m saving the warm coleslaw for a winter date.

This recipe is best a few hours up to a day after it is made. If the coleslaw sits any longer the dried cherries absorb the liquid, plump up, and look like bloated, dead bodies. Not good.

I upped the cherries and the vinegar slightly from the original recipe, and wrote the recipe as I prepared it.

Sweet and Sour Coleslaw
Adapted from Complete Vegetarian Kitchen by Lorna Sass
Serves 6-8

6 cups cabbage, tightly packed and sliced thinly
2 large carrots, grated
1/2cup dried cherries
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon allspice

• Put sliced cabbage, grated carrots, and dried cherries in a large bowl.
• In a small jar, combine the oil, syrup, cider vinegar, salt, and allspice. You do the hokey poky and you shake it all around.
• Poor the dressing over the cabbage, and mix.
• Refrigerate for at least an hour, and serve at room temperature.