Berries need their own hard case

The secret to keeping berries and grapes from getting squished and mushy in a lunch box is a hard-sided container, a paper towel, and not washing them in advance.

Mushy berries come from two enemies: pressure and trapped moisture. A loose sandwich bag under a heavy lunch is a death sentence. Give the berries a rigid container of their own — one of those small bento cups or a little meal-prep box — so the weight of everything else in the bag never lands on them.

Line the container with a folded paper towel and put another one on top before closing the lid. It absorbs condensation, which is what makes berries leak and turn to mush. Grapes are tougher than berries, but they appreciate the same setup.

And here’s the mistake most people make: don’t wash them the night before. Wet berries are fragile berries. Pack them dry and let your kid rinse them at school, or wash them in the morning and dry them on a towel for a few minutes first.

The granola bar can take the hits. Berries can’t.