Picnic Planning
TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-546 -- More Projects »
TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham goes to the rescue of a viewer who needs tips for packing a great picnic.
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Figure A
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Figure B
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Figure C
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Figure D
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- Keep a tablecloth from blowing off the table with some hot glue and a few clothespins. Apply a bead of hot glue on one side of a pin (figure A), and attach the pin on the bottom side of the table (figure B). Glue four pins to the table, then just clip the tablecloth in the pins when setting up for a picnic.
- Save plastic gallon ice-cream containers and use them for packing lunch items (figure C). Use one to pack the main part of the meal, another to hold fruit or vegetables, another for the drinks and so on. This works great because one potentially heavy load is broken up into smaller, less heavy loads. Also it allows children to take part in the fun and help carry a little bit of the picnic.
- Sandwiches are an old favorite to bring along on a picnic. Make a variety of sandwiches and label them so it's easy to tell them apart when unpacking for lunch (figure D).
- Make sure to leave off the toppings when packing sandwiches. Pack tomatoes, lettuce, onions and condiments separately to avoid soggy sandwiches.
- Experiment with peanut-butter combinations. Try peanut butter and marshmallow topping, peanut butter and banana or peanut butter and honey. They're packed with both energy and flavor.
- Pack a picnic in an easy-to-carry receptacle such as a basket. A traditional covered picnic basket works best, obviously, because it keeps all the contents inside. Any basket with a handle will do the trick, though. If it's not covered, just use a picnic blanket or tablecloth to tie over the opening of the basket.
- To avoid packing a lot of extra gear, such as plates, pack each lunch individually in paper bags or individual plastic containers. Tape the plastic cutlery to the top of the bag.
- Prepackaged individual foods are easy to pack and carry along on a trip.
- Bring a small, unopened container of mayonnaise along to avoid any chance of spoiling a lovely picnic with a jar of spoiled mayonnaise.
- When planning for dessert, stay away from things that melt easily such as ice ream, frozen desserts and chocolate. Even the chocolate chips in cookies can get pretty messy. Pack hardier dessert fare such as sugar cookies, granola bars, or cereal bars, which are more resistant to melting.
- Clean and sanitize old plastic soda bottles, fill them with water and freeze. The bottles will keep items cool and will provide drinking water as they melt.
