Healthy Kitchen Hacks #18 – Summer Fruit Edition Part One

Healthy Kitchen Hacks is a bi-weekly series on Teaspoon of Spice. We share fellow bloggers’ and our own favorite cooking shortcuts, kitchen tricks and “aha” ideas for making healthy meals and healthy living a snap.

Welcome to July and summer fruit heaven. I’m currently enjoying a bounty of local fruits through my CSA share (this week: blueberries, cherries and blackberries) so I figured some fruit hacks were appropriate – here are the top 5 I’ve tested that really work!

1) The Easiest Way to Pit Cherries
via Holly @SpendWithPennies

I try not to hoard collect kitchen gadgets (my husband would laugh at this) and even though I have my Grandma’s cherry pitter you don’t need one with this hack that also contains the messy pits. Holly walks you through how to pit cherries with a chopstick and a wine bottle (along with another option if you are sans chopsticks.)

2) How to Ball Melons Without a Melon Baller 

What did I just say about those extra kitchen gadgets? It turns out that you don’t need a melon baller as long as you have a set of metal measuring spoons. I tried this hack with my teaspoon when making my Melon Caprese Salad and it works like a charm.

3) Quick Way to Peel a Mango
via Katie @qkatie

I was dubious of this hack but it really does work. Here Katie of qkatie YouTube Channel shows you how to easily peel a mango half with a glass.

4) How to Hull Strawberries (with minimal waste)
via @ChatelaineMag

Like many people, I use to cut the tops off of strawberries with a knife to remove the hull. But even if you are careful, you still are losing part of the edible strawberry in your prep.

Not any more with this handy hack of pushing a straw through the bottom of the strawberry to the top. Out pops the hull – super easy and so much less waste.

5) Add Grilled Fruit To Summer Cocktails
via Heather @Lifehacker

We love us some grilled fruit here at Teaspoon of Spice. Last year I re-made Serena’s Grilled Watermelon Salad and featured a grilled fruit recipe round-up.

So, for the ultimate garnish and flavor enhancer to summer drinks, try out Heather’s idea of grilled pineapple in mojitos. Or adding grilled watermelon in these Watermelon Margaritas (<—- throw in some blueberries and you got one patriotic Fourth of July Cocktail.)

Would you try any of these hacks? Any healthy kitchen or healthy living shortcuts to share? Shoot us an email ([email protected] or [email protected] ) or share below and we’ll try them out.