The key to a successful picnic is planning and preparing ahead of time — so that you can simply relax and enjoy yourself once you unpack your picnic basket.
Things to pack include:
– Blankets or ground cover
– Forks, knives, spoons, plates, cups, bowls, etc.
– Serving utensils & dishes, including large spoons & forks
– Sharp knives
– Cutting board (can double as a serving tray)
– Tablecloth, serviettes & paper towels
– Can opener, bottle opener & corkscrew
– Salt & pepper
– Appropriate condiments including mustard, ketchup, relish or whatever works with your menu
– Plastic containers or storage bags for leftovers
– Trash bags for clean up
– Moist towelettes for clean ups
– Ice
– Beverages, including water
– And of course, your food….
Other items to consider: insect repellent, sunscreen, bathing suit, books or magazines, deck of cards, camera
Top 10 Reasons for Picnic Entertaining
– You don’t have to clean the house.
– Nothing can get broken or stained in your house.
– You have no mess to clean up the next day.
– You don’t have to worry about the noise.
– You don’t have to worry about guests who stay too late — you can just leave!
– You don’t have to limit the number of guests you invite due to space restrictions.
– You can entertain without worrying about your mother, your pets, your roommates…
– If you’ve planned properly there should be no leftovers.
– It can be a great romantic gesture.
– A great way to enjoy the summer!
Did You Know?
– Picnic comes from the French word pique-nique, meaning “a fashionable social entertainment” in which each guest brings a contribution to the feast. In other words, pique-nique was a fancy way of saying “potluck.”
– “Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors.” Alice Walker.
– A teddy bears’ picnic, traditionally a party for young children and their teddy bears, is believed to have originated from the 1907 “Teddy Bear’s Picnic instrumental march by John Walter Bratton.
– A “picnic” ham is really not a true ham since it is cut from the upper part of the foreleg of a pig; whereas a true ham is cut from the hind leg!
– In Italy, Easter Monday is considered the country’s favourite picnic day — it is called “Angel’s Monday” or Pasquetta (“Little Easter”).
– A 600-mile-long picnic took place in France in the year 2000 to celebrate the first Bastille Day of the new millennium.
– It has been noted that the first table designed specifically for picnics (in a style similar to what we know today) appeared in the late 1800s.
– Following the French Revolution in 1789, royal parks were opened to the public, and picnicking became a popular activity for the newly enfranchised citizens
– A fashionable group of Londoners started a Picnic Society in the early 19th century, and members were expected to share entertainment and refreshments
– The origin of the word picnic is up for debate. Some say it is based on the French verb “piquer” which means to pick; which may go back to the tradition of this type of celebration being potluck in nature –hence, picking from a selection of foods!
