How To Pit Cherries Without Using A Cherry Pitter

Cherries are one of those summer fruits that are worth waiting for all year long -- there's nothing like eating them fresh when they're in season. The eating part is easy because you can spit out the pits, but baking or cooking with cherries is another thing entirely, because you have to go the extra mile to remove all those pits beforehand.

Many people rely on cherry pitters, tools designed specifically for pitting cherries. But these gadgets can range in price from cheap (often also cheap in construction) to pretty expensive. Plus do you really need a pitter taking up precious space in your kitchen drawer when you use it just once a year? We've assembled a slideshow of makeshift cherry pitters made from everyday items. You'll be surprised what you can use to pit cherries.

Now after you've done your inventive pitting, make some of our cherry recipes here.