Best Kitchen Tools for Summer Produce and Farmers Market Hauls

There are two versions of me: One is my inspired self, who browses gorgeous, jewel-like fruits and vegetables at the farmers market and brings them home with grand plans of vibrant salsas, buttery fruit cobblers, and seasonal salads. The other is the version of me who remembers her withering cherries and can’t be bothered to pit and eat them. She’s no longer invited.

The cheat code to achieving summer produce nirvana is in having tools that strip away the excuses. Hulling strawberries for pie isn’t a burden with the tool that makes it quick and easy. Slicing a summer-perfect tomato for the fleeting pleasure of a mayo sandwich is a breeze with a proper tomato knife. Make the most of your CSA or farmers market haul — and take full advantage of summer’s bounty — with the tools below, all available at Amazon.

Best Tomato and Corn Tools at Amazon

Juicy tomatoes and sugar-sweet corn peak over the summer, but both are notoriously hard to handle. Most knives struggle to pierce tomato skin and carve neat slices without crushing the fruit itself, and most methods for stripping corn kernels are a recipe for a mess. Clever tools like OXO’s sharp, grippy corn peeler and a serrated tomato knife make the job easy.

• Rada Cutlery Tomato Slicer Knife, $16
• Chef’n Hullster Tomato Huller, $10, originally $11
• RSVP International Vegetable Core and Seed Remover, $16
• OXO Good Grips Corn Prep Peeler, $12
• Victorinox Swiss Classic Tomato and Table Knife, $20
• Zyliss Corn Holders, $7, originally $8
• Wüsthof Gourmet 5-Inch Tomato Knife, $50
• Spring Chef Stainless Steel Corn Peeler, $8
• Paudin Tomato Knife, $35, originally $50

Fitted with a curved, adaptive blade, this Y-shaped corn peeler slides down cobs with ease, neatly removing whole kernels. One Amazon shopper shared, “It cuts evenly and close to the cob all the way down.”

It’s no wonder this slender knife has earned over 11,300 five-star ratings at Amazon — it cuts through tomatoes like butter, producing even, paper-thin slices. One shopper said, “It cuts through tomatoes without crushing them.”

Best Stone Fruit and Berry Tools at Amazon

Summer cherries and ripe stone fruit often need to be pitted before snacking and baking. Forget wrestling stones out of your fruit and mangling them — hullers and pitters neatly remove pits and stems, cutting prep time in half. 

To quickly remove pits from a batch of cherries, load this clever multitasker with a half dozen cherries at a time. Press the gadget over a bowl and watch as neatly pitted fruit falls in, while the pitter holds on to the stones for easy composting.

Sure, you could slice the top off a strawberry to remove its stem, but that doesn’t always do the job — you may cut off more fruit than you would like, while leaving the tough base of the stem intact. This huller makes easy work of it instead. Simply position the serrated edge near the stem, twist, and scoop.

More Favorite Produce Tools at Amazon

Corn, tomatoes, berries, and stone fruit are just the start of what farmers markets offer over the summer — to prepare for the season’s bounty, stock up on tools that can slice, clean, and store all kinds of produce. Cube watermelon with this 2-in-1 slicer, sliver zucchini with a versatile mandoline, and keep fruits and vegetables fresh for longer with shopper-loved produce storage.

• OXO Good Grips Melon Baller, $13, originally $15
• Benriner Mandoline Slicer, $31
• OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner, $33
• Freshmage Fruit Storage Containers with Removable Colander, $19
• OXO Good Grips Storage Container, $17
• Avocado and Tomato Savers, Set of 4, $14
• Nadoba 2-in-1 Watermelon Cutter Slicer Tool, $9
• Earthwise Reusable Mesh Produce Bags, Set of 9, $15
• Leafico Reusable Cotton Produce Bags, Set of 6, $20

Amazon shoppers have purchased over 10,000 of these produce storage sets in the past month. Built-in colanders elevate fruit or veggies to drain excess moisture or juice so they stay fresh for longer, and the flat-topped containers stack neatly to maximize fridge space.

Bring home your farmers market haul and keep the fridge organized with these produce bags. Made of solid and mesh cotton, they let produce breathe and last longer in the fridge. I love that I use fewer plastic bags at the store or market with these, too — simply wash the reusable cotton bags before your next shopping trip.