I collected lots of locavore highlights during our quick trip to Door County. It’s that narrow Wisconsin peninsula, with Green Bay on one side and Lake Michigan on the other.

Tart cherries were at their peak - only minutes to pick a pail. The more time consuming part was pitting them, but a low-tech gadget was up to the task. Check out the vintage cherry pitter, pictured below.

Simply stuff the top funnel with a handful of cherries, crank the blade to gently smash the fruit, and presto — the pits are separated from the flesh. Conveniently, the pits spill out from a separate spout.

This is definitely not your mother’s Cuisinart — more like something stashed in Grandma’s garage. On eBay, they’re going for as little as $9.

Other locavore highlights worthy of a trip to Door County:

• Capital Brewery beer, made with wheat grown on Washington Island, a picturesque place at the tip of the peninsula.
• Fish boil, made with potatoes, onions and chunks of fresh white fish, all boiled in a briny bath.
• Wild thimbleberries growing thick along the roadsides.
• Cheese curds so fresh that they squeak when you chew!

But back to the cherries: Really, I like blueberries much better. So what am I gonna do with several quarts of cherries now in my freezer? Seems like the highest calling for this fruit is a cobbler or crisp — something with a nutty, toasty top. Recipes, anyone?

Photos by Julie Wiernik Top: Tart cherries are at their peak in Door County, Wis. Bottom: A vintage cherry-pitter makes quick work of many quarts.

Julie Wiernik is on the Community Team at AnnArbor.com and blogs about all things locavore. She welcomes you to share your ideas, events and opinions by reaching her at 734.358.2809 or juliewiernik@annarbor.com.