A Few Tips for a Wonderful Picnic and Two Picnic Recipes

Are you also such a big fan of picnics? I just love the idea of sitting on a blanket, enjoying a few treats I prepared beforehand and breathing some fresh air in nature. A picnic to me is the best way to relax. Below you will find two recipes perfect for a picnic. One is a berry salad infused with lavender honey, the other is homemade pesto, which I used on a sandwich as a spread, but which may be used as a dip or with some cooked pasta. All of below tips are also from my first-hand experience as a huge picnic lover.

Tip #1: Less is more

You are planning on serving several salads, a muffin, some meatballs, a wrap, cheese, crackers, wine, water and I don’t know, ten more things? Believe me, less is more. When I started with picnics, I made the mistake of taking way too mayn things with me, which we didn’t end up eating. Instead you should focus on a few items, which you really would like to eat and which are limited in number. One savory dish, one sweet, and a beverage. That will do already.

Tip #2: A proper picnic blanket and picnic basket gets already half the job done

My mom sewed a really nice picnic blanket for us, very robust, in grass colors and which is washable at 60 degrees. She also included a small side pocket, which helps to roll up the blanket and have it pretty tightly packed. I presonally believe a picnic blanket should be large enough for four people to sit on it, but it shouldn’t be so large that it gets to big. If you have a proper picnic blanket, you won’t even mind wet grass.

The second important component is the picnic basket. I personally believe it should be pratical. This is the one we use, it’s isolated, so will remain cool, wine glasses, plates and cutlery can be neatly tucked away and take away less space. I really love it and have used it many times over.

Tip #3: You can have a perfect picnic with wine, an assortment of cheeses, and a few fruits

You are not in the mood for baking and don’t want to labor away in the kitchen? How about buying a nice wine (or some other beverage such as a lemonade, etc.), an assortment of cheeses (some softer ones and some hard ones), a few apples/pears and/or grapes and you are good to go. It can be that simple. Yes, you can also include dips, a loaf of bread, chips, etc. But start with only that and you will be surprised how much it already is.

Tip #4: Many regular recipes can easily be adapted to accommodate a picnic

You basically want finger food for a picnic, so cut and slice and accommodate for a smaller size

• In general take out anything bought from the packaging and unwrap beforehand
• Instead of carrying full fruits with you, peel and slice them beforehand and use a skewer to nicely line them up
• Do not take a large bowl of salad with you, instead use jars to fill individual portions
• If you want to serve cake, don’t take the entire cake with you, but just a few pieces you cut beforehand or go for cupcakes right away
• If you are serving bread, slice it beforehand, you don’t want to do these things awkwardly during the picnic, think finger food for everything

Below you will find a few recipe ideas if you would like to prepare something yourself:

Glutenfree cheese puffs from Colombia

Glutenfree cheese puffs from Paraguay

Empanadas with beef filling

Hand pies with chicken filling

Chocolate empanadas with caramel filling

Blueberry muffins, cranberry orange muffins or healthy ginger muffins

Any cookie, most popular among my readers are these brownie cookies

Apple turnovers

Cherry pie or apple pie

Print Recipe

Berry Salad with Lavender Honey and Homemade Pesto for a Sandwich

Serves: As picnic for 2-3 people

Prep Time: 20min – Cooking Time: 10-15min – Total Time: 35min

This berry salad with lavender honey is perfect for a picnic, other fruits can be used as well. The pesto will also be nice as a dip or with some cooked pasta. We serve it here on a sandwich.

Ingredients

• Berry Salad with Lavender Honey
• 1-2 teaspoons of dried lavender
• 2-3 tabelspoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• About 600 grams of different berries
• 
  
• Pesto
• 50 grams of Parmesan
• 50 grams of pine nuts
• 2 garlic gloves
• Some salt
• 3-4 pots of basil
• About 300 mililiters of olive oil

Instructions

1

For the berry salad slowly heat the lavender with the olive oil on pretty low for about 10-15min. Do it gently and check when the lavender buds turn brown, then stop. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and discard lavender. Add honey to the olive oil.

2

Meanwhile wash, slices and prepare the berries and let marinate in honey and olive oil for a bit. You can serve on the next day, the lavender taste will intensify. Chill if doing so. I haven't tried, but I am certain that the lavender honey will also be amazing with melons or another mix of fruits.

3

4

For the pesto grate the cheese and roast the pine nuts without adding any oil in a frying pan until they start to smell and get small brown specks. Set aside. Peel garlic and take off all basil leaves.

5

Mash the garlic with the salt with a mortar, then add the roasted pine nuts and cheese. Transfer to a food processor and add the basil leaves. Only process for a little bit, then add the oil little by little. You should get a green paste.

6

Our sandwich consisted of baguette with pesto, a few slices of mozzarella and jamon serrano.