Whenever someone says “picnic”, our heart flutters with joy. We think of all the beautiful moments we can spend outside. Playing with kids, having an adventurous day, and ending it off with a lovely picnic dinner or a lunch. Or it could just be laying down on the grass, holding hands with your boo and enjoying the warmth of spring.
But organizing a picnic is not that easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. You’ve to decide a place, decide the food, the drinks and decide what stuff you should bring along! That’s a lot of work. So here are our suggestions on packing a picnic basket.
So without any further ado, let’s get into it!
Where Can You Go For a Picnic?
A picnic with your loved ones is always fun no matter where you go. To make your picnic extra special here are our top picks for a picnic spot!
1.A Forest Or A Park: Somewhere far far away from the busy streets of the city. You can have your picnic in a forest or a romantic park where you can spend some quality time with your partner; or a day filled with adventure and games for your kids and pets. Whatever suits your family and friends the most.
For example, you can take your picnic on a small hill near your town, a nearby park or a ranch, a small forest where you can stay the night and have fun with your family and roast some ‘mallows at night, sitting by the fire!
2.Somewhere Near The Water: A picnic near a lake or a river is the most romantic treat you can arrange for your partner. If you are into the beautiful sound of the birds chirping and streams gurgling, a place like this would be a perfect escape for you! Imagine sitting near a river and looking at the trees and the birds living their best life around you, doesn’t it sound amazing to you?
3.Somewhere In The City: Don’t have enough time to go somewhere far away or want to avoid traveling? You can have your picnic at some cozy place in your city!
There are lots of cute places in the city for example; a city park, your rooftop, a beach, a dam, a resort or even your humble little backyard! Your picnic will be just as much fun wherever you have it just as long as you’re with your loved ones and you’re happy.
What Kind Of Food Can You Take On A Picnic?
If you are planning on having a sweet, safe and intimate picnic with your loved ones, you better make it filled up with all kinds of delicious food!
Here are our suggestions:
1.Sandwiches: Sandwiches are the traditional food of any picnic. You better not sit them out. You can have fun with your sandwiches and follow new exciting recipes or just go traditional with them and have your good old PB&Js, or make or the veg grilled or a chicken sandwich.
2.Pies: No picnic is complete without a pie! If you want to go all-American, pack up your delicious apple-pies and get on the road or try out something exciting like blueberry pies or a custard pie.
3.Eggs: Eggs play an essential role in any meal as they’re really easy to make and don’t take much time to prepare! Be it Deviled eggs or just your plain old scrambled eggs, they won’t cost you much time and money. So if you are running on a tight schedule, just make some eggs and toss ’em in.
4.Sausage Rolls: This is another quick-to-make food for your picnic. Sausage rolls are delicious, take about 30 minutes on an average to make and they are fun to eat!
Just pair ’em up with some yummy sauces and you have your meal!
1.Chicken Drumsticks: Any type of dry chicken dish is a brilliant idea for a picnic! Chicken drumsticks are so yummy and they don’t take that long to get cooked either.
2.Salads: Any type of salad you like, chicken salad, vegetable salad, bean salad, fruit salad, whatever you choose, salads are a go-to food for a picnic!
3.Fruit: If you want to have a more classic and chill picnic, just pack some yummy fruit with you. Watermelon, apples, pineapple, grapes, cherries, and berries are some of your solid options as they can stay fresh outside the fridge for a while. Just pack them up in a paper bag or cover them up with a towel and you’re good to go!
4.Drinks : Don’t forget to pack drinks with you. Go classic with lemonade, any flavored fruit juice, freshly squeezed orange juice, some fancy wine, or your good ol’ beer will do. Don’t forget your water, you’ll definitely need some with all that thirst!
How To Keep Your Food Cold Or Hot In A Picnic Basket?
There are many ways to keep your food cold or hot while on a picnic. We will get right into it:
How To Keep It Cold:
1.Portable Ice Trays And Ice Packs: When you pack up a picnic basket, you can fill up the spaces in it with ice packs and even lay ice packs on the top as well as the bottom of your picnic basket. It will help your food stay cold and frisky. Use hard ones for the bottom to keep the basket sturdy and use the soft ones to fill up the spaces and at the top so that they hug your food containers at the right places. Or just use your bottles with frozen water in it, they will do the trick if it’s for a short time.
2.Use Cooling Mats And Coolers: Coolers and cooling mats are designed to keep your food cold for a long time. The insulation in your cooler will keep the heat away from your food and can keep your food cold for hours or days depending on the quality of your cooler.
3.The Humble Block Ice: Use block ice to fill up the spaces between your bottles when you’re carrying them in a cooler. If you don’t want to make a mess as the ice melts, you can keep them in leak-proof ziplock bags for better results aka, your food not getting ruined.
How To Keep It Warm:
1.Keep Your Basket Crowded: More food means more heat, so make sure you pack your picnic basket with as much food as you can squeeze into it. The heat from the food containers will keep each other hot.
2.Aluminum Foils And Towels: Using aluminum foils or aluminum wraps to cover your food and wrapping a towel or two around it will help. Aluminum foil will trap the heat from the food inside and the towel will provide insulation to keep it inside for a longer time.
3.Using A Thermos: Thermos are especially made to keep the heat inside the container, and keep the air out. Use a thermos for your hot drinks and foods to keep them hot for a long time.
Mutual Ways:
There are a number of common ways to keep your food both cold or hot.
1.Using Insulated Picnic Baskets Or Backpacks: You can get a number of insulated picnic baskets that look just like your wicker basket, but have the potential to keep your food cold or hot for a longer time. You can buy any good insulated backpack for your picnic, plus it will come with pockets and net pouches for you to organize your spoons and dishes in!
2.Using Insulated Containers: You can use any type of insulated containers to keep your food both hot or cold in it because the same insulation that keeps the heat in also prevents your cold food from warming up.
3.Using Insulated Coolers: If you’re using a high quality cooler, you can preheat your cooler to keep your hot food in it and keep your food hot for a longer time. Coolers work the same way with hot food like they work with cool foods.
A List Of Things That You Can Bring Along On A Picnic
- A sitting mat
- Water
- A first aid box
- Sanitizers and disinfectants, extra masks
- Extra dishes and spoons
- Paper napkins and paper bags
- Garbage bags and ziploc bags
- A good torch
- A musical instrument or some entertainment
- Extra diapers
Lastly, just remember your picnic has to be a fun experience so it’s okay if it’s not something fancy or over-the-top as long as it brings a smile to your face. Cheers!
Also Read: Spring’s Here! Tasty Recipes For A Picnic Lunch| Enjoy A Cookout! Best Barbecue Dishes| Easy And Healthy Homemade Snacks For Your Road Trip
