When using such a lock, I would recommend not choosing a repeated digit, simple increasing/decreasing pattern, year within the last 100 years, nor a date in the form MMDD. If you do, the possibility space for the lock is decreased by a factor of 20+.

I’d guess that the stems are probably a turnoff. I don’t think you could easily remove the stems without damaging the berries, even with commercial equipment. And I think many folks are not going to want a pie with a thousand stems

I use a version of this second strategy as a pedestrian when drivers are waiting for me to cross when I don’t have the right of way. Often the safest and fastest thing is for them not to have stopped (since they block visibility, are acting unpredictably, and don’t have control over other vehicles on the road). If you don’t acknowledge them, they are more likely to continue on their way faster