Dry berries, wet apples

Dry berries, wet apples.

Apples and berries spoil in different ways, so the fix is different for each. For apples, the enemy is browning. For berries, the enemy is moisture.

Cut apples turn brown when their flesh hits oxygen. Stop it with a quick dunk in cold water with a little lemon juice — about a teaspoon per cup of water. Soak the slices for a minute, drain, and pack. The acid buys you the whole school day. If you forget the lemon juice, plain water still works better than nothing.

Berries get mushy because they sit in trapped moisture. Wash them ahead, dry them really well on a towel, then pack them whole with a folded paper towel underneath. Leave the lid slightly cracked if you can. Airflow matters more than an airtight seal.

The magic words: acid for apples, airflow for berries.