But just like with grapes and strawberries, your best bet is to wait until just before you pit and enjoy the fruit to wash it. Rinsing cherries before storing can cause them to spoil quicker.

But beyond worrying about finding the ripest and sweetest fruit, there’s a precaution that’s much more serious: cherry pits.

With the knife in your other hand, cut vertically through the stem end of the peach all the way down to the pit, rotating the fruit as you go. Once you’ve sliced all the way around, gently twist ...