I will be the first person to admit that when I lived in New York, I did not take advantage of the culture that the city had to offer.
Though I had friends and coworkers who went to concerts in the park on Wednesday evenings, art museums on the weekends and biking in Central Park during the summer, I was always in Camp Flee The City On Weekends.
Now that I live in Chicago, I find myself outdoors a great deal more often, be it on the rooftop pool at my gym, dining out on a patio with friends or more recently, packing a picnic with friends to a free concert in Millennium Park.
When you’re packing a picnic to transport, whether it’s a two-mile drive in the backseat of your car or um, a forty-minute haul on public transportation, you’re a little limited as to what you can and should bring with you. I’ve learned a few things during summer picnicking ventures so I feel like it’s my duty to share them with you.
Bring a wine opener if you’re planning to drink wine. There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in the great outdoors with a bottle of vino, a stack of red solo cups…and no corkscrew. To guarantee that this doesn’t happen to you, choose screw-top wines, which are becoming more popular, or make sure to pop a wine key in your purse before you head outside.
Avoid packaging your food in glass containers. They clank, they break and they’re heavy. My favorite way to tote food to-go is to save up plastic containers from take-out orders and reuse them for portability. Not only are the containers designed to stack in such a way that you can tote them easily, you didn’t buy them, so you won’t feel bad if they accidentally get tossed. While I won’t caution against reusable containers (hello, environment!) you will want to bring something that you can wipe down, wash or rinse on-site to avoid a big mess when you get home.
Watch the mayo-based salads. It’s summer. It’s hot. Mayonnaise and dairy products spoil quickly in hot conditions. Either plan on eating them right away when you arrive at the picnic (our chicken salad is so good that it won’t last long enough to spoil) or skip bring salads with pesto or vinaigrette instead of creamy dressings.
Summer Picnic Potluck Menu
Whether you’re supplying the food and inviting friends to come and enjoy or designating dishes for guests to bring to share with the group, we have some perfect picnic potluck menu ideas to help you plan your next park or backyard gathering before the summer winds to an end.
Photo: Leigh Loftus
Creamy Chicken Salad with Cranberries & Almonds
Photo: Leigh Loftus
Pesto, Barley and Edamame Salad
Photo: Leigh Loftus
Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Spread
Photo: Leigh Loftus
Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Boats
Photo: Leigh Loftus
What are your favorite foods to pack on a picnic? Leave your tips and ideas in the comment section below.
37 Comments
35 Blogs with the Best Summer Picnic Recipes That Won’t Spoil « Au Pair Care
August 11, 2013 at 2:00 am[…] Easy Entertaining: Summer Picnic Potluck in the Park […]
Anne@frommysweetheart
August 7, 2011 at 9:54 pmMaris! I LOVE picnics! I even love indoor picnics in the middle of winter! Great suggestions and a great picnic menu! : )
Nicole@HeatOvenTo350
August 5, 2011 at 11:59 amGreat tips! I just love picnics in the summer.
yummychunklet
August 5, 2011 at 11:17 amThis looks perfect for the last days of Ravinia!
chutneyandspice
August 5, 2011 at 11:13 amYou make picnic making sound so easy. I always run out of ideas and end up with the same things time and time again. I love the sound of the pesto/barley/endame salad, it sounds really light and healthy without all the dairy and mayonnaise that many salads have. Great idea about the spinach in the pesto, I’m going to give that a go.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
August 5, 2011 at 8:40 amGreat tips Maris! Those containers are so good and now you can get enviro friendly forks and knives etc 🙂
Kitchen Belleicious
August 5, 2011 at 7:11 amGreat tips and recipe selections. I think my favorite is the peach crumb bars. I need to make those regardless if their is a picnic in site or not! YUM!
Gina (The Candid RD)
August 5, 2011 at 5:54 amI thnk the last time I went on a picnic was about three years ago. Nick and I stopped at Subway and then ate it down by the river near our house. I’ve never actually done a “from scratch” picnic, but I can imagine cheese (or hummus, which is more heat-stable), crackers, wine (or beer…) and fresh fruit being the perfect foods for a nice picnic!
Marina
August 5, 2011 at 5:29 amI wish that I live somewhere where people eat in parks.. I loved that when I visited London.. Nobody does it here 🙁
Little Inbox
August 5, 2011 at 4:34 amIt’s so much of fun for a summer picnic. Chit chat and eating…
Nami | Just One Cookbook
August 5, 2011 at 1:39 amVery nice suggestion. We’ve only on picnic once this year. Sometimes it sounds too hectic (with small kids especially) and ended up not going. Should enjoy nice weather outside more! Great reminder…. 🙂
polwig
August 4, 2011 at 11:34 pmThis picnic looks really french: cheese and wine, even the chicken salad. I am thinking it is more made for Ravinia then Millenium Park. Oh how I miss Chicago in the summer.
Reeni
August 4, 2011 at 9:03 pmI haven’t been on any picnics yet this summer. Hope I get to go on one before it ends. Thanks for all the tips!
rebecca
August 4, 2011 at 8:51 pmgreat tips adore picnics
Roz@weightingfor50
August 4, 2011 at 8:09 pmHi Maris, I LOVE LOVE LOVE picnics, so love this post!!! Dennis and I were just saying today that now that the summer is FINALLY here in Vancouver, we need to have some picnic dinners very soon! Your post has inspired me even more. (and wish we lived in the same city so we could picnic together, I have NO doubt many laughs would be shared!!) Thanks as always for your wonderful ideas and posts. Have a great day!
sophia
August 4, 2011 at 8:04 pmThe kind of picnic I want: good bread, good cheese, fresh fruit, iced tea. 🙂
I’ve had a lot of crappy picnics, and they all involve gunky mayo-heavy salads. Don’t really understand why anyone would crave that in the hot summer days, actually.
alyssa - fashion fitness foodie
August 4, 2011 at 5:23 pmMy boyfriend and I need to make use of the city and do these things!
Lisa from Lisas Yarns
August 4, 2011 at 5:16 pmI don’t know that I have ever had a picnic – is that sad or what? I need to remedy that sometime! I think I would bring snacky items like veggies or strawberries, and maybe some hummus and crackers. And def wine!
Kelly
August 4, 2011 at 2:50 pmI love, love, love picnics in the summertime. I always mean to have more than I get around to. This is a good reminder that I need to have more of them.
I think though that as far as NYC goes though there is definitely a culture of getting out of the city. One of my best friends lives there and it’s always so weirdly quiet during weekends in the summer.
Autumn @ Good Eats Girl
August 4, 2011 at 2:43 pmGreat tips!! There is nothing worse than being without a corkscrew!!!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
August 4, 2011 at 1:53 pmLove picnics!
Seasonal fresh fruit and veggies with great dips
OR
great desserts 🙂
Caroline
August 4, 2011 at 1:08 pmI love summer picnics. Your set up is perfect! There’s a free summer concert series every Thursday at the Santa Monica pier, and people picnic on the beach during the show. A wine opener is definitely essential. Oh, and red cups if you’re drinking on the beach. We forgot that part and had to borrow a few from some Australian guys, ha!
My Inner Chick
August 4, 2011 at 12:49 pm—You inspired me to do this with hubby. Great for a Date, right? 🙂 Wine for sure.
A Plum By Any Other Name
August 4, 2011 at 12:40 pmHa! Is it wrong that I carry a wine-opener in my purse?! You never know when an impromptu picnic might bust out! Living in Boston we have plenty of open space too. Cheers!
sheila @ Elements
August 4, 2011 at 12:32 pmGreat tips, Maris! All your salads and the peach crumble bars sound so good!
My favorite picnic food? BLT on my grandmother’s famous buttermilk biscuits! 🙂
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
August 4, 2011 at 12:25 pmgreat tips! Very fun post!
Greg
August 4, 2011 at 12:18 pmSuch great suggestions. My wife always do this in wine country. OK, some days are PB&J!
Nelly Rodriguez
August 4, 2011 at 11:49 amGreat tips and I just love everything picnic! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen
August 4, 2011 at 11:46 amGreat tips! Thank you. 🙂
sarah
August 4, 2011 at 10:11 amPicnic weather here is coming up. I am putting those peach crumb bars on my list! I can’t wait to get outside again.
emily (a nutritionist eats)
August 4, 2011 at 9:55 amI have been wanting to go on a picnic this summer! I was thinking the basics: cheese, bread, wine and cured meat! 🙂
Courtney
August 4, 2011 at 9:52 amSometimes picnic potlucks (even just at home) are great fun – we tend to do these sometimes with my boys in the backyard (or in the living room if it’s raining).
Three-Cookies
August 4, 2011 at 9:48 amOpening wine bottles without an opener is not fun. Its possible but can get messy! Some of the boxed wines are fairly decent
Amanda
August 4, 2011 at 9:39 amGreat post – love the suggestions!
Junia @ Mis Pensamientos
August 4, 2011 at 9:37 amyes i’ve had that problem too with glass containers – so heavy! love that its cleaner and more environment friendly. i just had to buy some better quality plastic tupperware to carry in my tote without weighing me shoulder down so much!
Ericka
August 4, 2011 at 9:35 amAll of this sounds so dreamy! I always carry a wine opener in my purse. I’ts my “just in case” item 😉
amy @ fearless homemaker
August 4, 2011 at 9:34 amexcellent tips, especially the one about the corkscrew – that’s one thing that people always forget. summer picnics are just lovely — in fact, my husband is taking a half-day from work today so we can have one together. i’m going to show him your post as soon as he gets home!