With summer drawing to a close you might find yourself in want of finally making the effort to go on that picnic you’ve been talking about all summer.
Having the right food in your picnic basket can be the difference between fun and food poisoning. I’ve put together a little list of picnic packing essentials to help ensure that you and your loved one have a great time.
When you are eating a pinic you want a lot of finger foods because you’ll most likely be sitting on a blanket and therefore you are not very steady. I suggest brining plenty of pre-washed fruit like grapes, strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries, and you can pair them with some peanut butter or nutella for a nice sweet snack. Or you could opt for fresh veggies like carrot sticks, bell peppers, cucumber slices, and pair them with hummus or your favorite dip. Just remember you want to make sure that anything no perishable will need to be in a coolerbag with an ice pack.
Sandwiches are almost as essential to picnics as ants, you can eat them with your hands (the sandwiches folks not the ants come on now), and so there is no need for utensils (yay less things to carry). I love wrapping sandwiches in wax paper to lock in freshness, and there’s something nostaligic about wax paper sandwiches that is very appealing to me. You could even go so far as to wrap your sandwiches with some twine to pretty them up (it’s all about presentation you know). If you are looking for a great and simple sandwich idea, might I suggest sliced turkey and brie with a jam of your choice. I used blueberry jam above, but I found that the jam lacked a little something. I would suggest opting for a spicy pepper jelly, or even a spicy pineapple/mango chutney to help liven things up. The sandwich was good, but it wasn’t great.
After chowing down your sandwich you’ll need something cold to wash it down. This is where that cooler bag and/or icepacks will have come in handy. Your picnic is a special day and so you should have special treats right? I like the idea of bringing lemonade, fizzy water, and/or some flavored soda water. You could even go so far as to bring a bottle of wine and/or sparkling champagne, but just make sure that drinking in public is allowed where you are picnicking before you crack to bottle open and get your self arrested.
The perfect ending to a picnic is usually watermelon, but for those who like something more substantial, or don’t want the mess you could also consider some brownies, cookies, or even a nice box of fresh French macarons as they are light weight and pretty easy to tote. I brought along some Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars that I prepared look for this recipe coming soon to AsheleyEats
I always make sure to pack napkins and/or wipes, but you could also tote along some antibacterial hand sanitizer in your basket. Since you are eating outside, and you are eating with your hands the germaphob in me suggests bringing something to clean your hands before and after you eat.
If staring into your lovers eyes isn’t intriging enough you could bring a board game, and/or a book to read while you enjoy your relaxing picnic. You could also tote along a freezbie or some ball gloves and a baseball to toss around after your yummy meal. Remember your picnic is a relaxing adventure and you shouldn’t over plan, if you do nothing else just keep the things that need to be cold, cold, and you’re picnic should be a success.
