Spending time outdoors on a perfect is the perfect opportunity to spend time with family and friends, or a special occasion with that someone special. When planning a picnic to your local park, you want everything to be just right. Although packing a picnic basket seems basic, the rule is to pack no more and no less than what you need. In other words, you need to find the perfect balance of what to add to the basket.
For starters, you might invest in an inexpensive picnic basket. This type of basket is sturdy and designed specifically to hold food, drinks, plates, and eating utensils. While it might be tempting to use a brown grocery bag, we do not recommend it in that the bag could become soggy from leakage and if dropped or stepped on, food will become squashed. If you do not have an actual picnic basket, then a strong cooler or toke would work.
If your lunch will contain perishable foods, then a cooler of some type is essential to avoid food poisoning, especially if you plan to take eggs or use mayonnaise. To determine size, first consider the number of people. If the picnic is just for you and someone special, then a smaller tote or cooler is all you need. With this, you would need enough room for some drinks, a few sandwiches or cooked chicken, cheese, and perhaps a dessert such as cake, cookies, or brownies. Of course, leave room for ice.
For the ground cover, an old vinyl tablecloth works great. If you want someone more comfortable, you could always replace with or add an older comforter or blanket, one that you would not mind getting dirty but also one that can be tossed into the washing machine. Then, you can purchase disposable plates, cups, and eating utensils at your local grocer. Today, you have some beautiful choices to add a little spice to the picnic.
Then, remember any other utensils that you might need such as serving spoon, cutting knife, corkscrew for a bottle of wine, and so on. The key is to bring what you need to make the picnic fun and convenient without going overboard. For the food, you can purchase wonderful plastic containers at your local grocer for about $5 for five containers. These containers can be rewashed and used again for your next picnic if you like.
As far as condiments, you can also purchase real, small containers for around $3 for a set of five. These containers are ideal for mayonnaise, mustard, ranch dressing, and honey, or other condiments needed for the meal. Best of all, the containers are small enough that they will not take up much room in the tote or cooler. Finally, if you want to make the picnic extra special, folding chairs and/or table, a breakdown umbrella, vase of fresh flowers, or linen napkins are perfect. All you need is a grassy area and a big shade tree!