Picnic Series- Installation 2

Post By: Guest Blogger, Kiersten Washle

The last picnic post talked about mason jar meals and those little fellows are certainly yummy adorable, but what do you do if the contents of a mason jar just aren't enough to fill you up? This brings us to today's topic--- the side dish.

Robin is to Batman what the side dish is to any meal or picnic, a very important part of the team of course! We have concluded that side dishes are very important, but the side dish itself remains unannounced. After much intense deliberation we decided that the best side dish for a picnic would be a fresh fruit or vegetable.

After packing your meal, grab another mason jar and throw in some fresh fruit, succulent strawberries, sour or sweet apples, firm grapes, or a mixture of them all! Though it may sound cliche to say, the possibilities really are endless.

Never Deal with Apples that Look Like This Again

Since fruit was our recommendation, we have to admit that there can be problems. Problems like, "The Brown Apple Problem"-we have all faced it. Cutting apples can get messy, they are full of sweet, tart juice which unfortunately seems to ooze out as soon as you break the skin.  Due to this, it is great to go ahead and cut them ahead of  time, but then you have to deal with the unappetizing brown color that occurs as the apple oxidizes. This problem seems like impending doom, entirely unavoidable, however, it is avoidable! Fear no more!


Avoiding Brown Apples Tip 1:
Cut your apples into the shape you want, slices or bite sized chunks, and put them in your picnic ready mason jar. The trick to keep them from browning is to pour in a little bit of a lemon lime soda, Sprite or Mountain Dew, into the jar. You only need about a fourth of the jar filled, easy to find in your fridge. This will keep your apples the lovely creamy color of a crisp freshly cut apple.

Avoiding Brown Apples Tip 2:
Cut your apple into slices and then go into your office and grab a rubber band. Now treat the cut apple like a puzzle, put the pieces back together into the shape of the apple. (Picture Left) Place the rubber band around the middle of the apple, this will hold the apple together like it hasn't been cut. Doing this will keep your apple fresh; all you have to do for and easy treat is remove the rubber band.