Pit Spittin' Mad

You already know that Yakima Fruit Market has some killer Washington cherries right now. Plump, juicy, and perfect for starting your own impromptu Pit Spitting Contest. We've eaten far more than a healthy share at my house.

 Remember when we talked about How to Store Cherries and I mentioned the International Pit Spitting Contest? 

I see a future pit-spitting champion in this little scrunched face. So much potential. What do you think?





This year's big event happened on July 5th, and son beat out father this year.  A new generation is taking the reigns of this very competitive no-contact sport.

I did some pit spitting on the 4th of July, and my personal best was roughly 7 feet.  I'd get laughed right out of Eau Claire.

Winner Declared in Internatuional Cherry Pit Spitting Championship

How to Store Cherries

This is the first installment of a series on storing your produce. When you don't store your stuff right, it goes bad quickly. I'm here to help.

Cherries



If, by some fluke, you manage to buy a bag of cherries and are able to get them home before they are completely devoured, you will need to store them properly.

DO stick them in the fridge. In the back, where it's nice and cold.

(See, that wasn't so hard.)

DON'T wash them before you store them.

DO wash them before you eat them.

DO let them sit out a bit after you take them out of the fridge. They have more flavor closer to room temperature.

DO make them an eating priority. You'll hear anything from 2-6 days for fridge storage. In a nutshell, the sooner you eat them the better.

DO have a pit plan. That is, a plan for where to spit your pit. A cup or a garbage can will suffice. You can also have a pit spitting contest with your friends. Or maybe you want to dry them and make pit pads.

DON'T have any delusions that you are the best pit spitter out there. Unless you can go farther than 93 feet, 6 and 1/2 inches. If you can, please email me directly.

Freezing:

Stem them. Pit them. Wash and drain them in a colander.

My preferred method for freezing all berries does not involve sugar syrup. Just lay out on a cookie sheet until frozen, and stick them in a plastic freezer bag. Don't forget to label it with the date.

The California cherries are starting to trickle in. Bing and Ranier are the most popular varieties around the California Yakima (soon!) Fruit Market. Cherries are synonymous with the 4th of July for me.

Sheesh - that's only a month a way. Isn't that crazy?