5 must-haves for a picnic basket. Great weather, good friends, delicious food – for a successful outing into nature, not so much is needed. You can pack anything in a picnic basket, it all depends on the number of people and the taste of future eaters. However, there are 5 things that you can’t do without.
It doesn’t matter what kind of picnic is planned. It can be a romantic date in nature, a family trip to the forest or a party on the beach. In any case, the process promises to be long and take at least 2-3, or even 5-6 hours. Given the warm season, every effort will have to be made to preserve the freshness of products. You can, of course, take a cooler bag with you instead of a basket, laying it out with cooling elements, but then you will have to carry additional weight with you. It is much more convenient and practical to freeze 2-3 plastic water bottles and put them in a basket. By the end of the picnic, the ice will melt, and you will have a new portion of the chilled drink. So, the first obligatory component of a picnic basket will turn into a nice addition.
To sit on the ground without putting anything under oneself is not only thoughtless, but also dangerous. Now on sale there are special blankets for picnics. Light, almost airy, they usually consist of several layers, the bottom of which is a thermal protective film. Such a blanket will not only protect you from dampness and hypothermia, but will also help save precious coolness if a basket of groceries is covered with it during transportation.
Without dishes, a picnic is also unlikely to succeed. Of course, you should not rake out the contents of the kitchen cabinet. Ordinary spoon-plates are quite heavy, after the hike they will have to be washed, and the probability of breaking or losing a precious grandmother’s cup in nature increases significantly. It is best to bring a supply of disposable tableware with you. At the same time, cardboard should be preferred to plastic. An accidentally lost paper cup will dissolve without a trace in a few months, but a plastic one will poison the space surrounding it for many years to come.
Well, where without the main thing – without food. For outdoor feasting, it is best to take foods already packaged by nature. It can be fruits: apples, bananas, melon or a small watermelon; boiled eggs, vegetables, baked potatoes. Of course, this does not mean that no other picnic food is suitable. In principle, you can take everything with you, except for very perishable things, but it is still better to give preference to products, as they say, “one bite”. Small meatballs instead of large cutlets, sausages instead of regular sausage, tiny pies instead of a pie or buns instead of a loaf of bread. What you definitely do not need to take is raw meat, fish, dairy products. If a picnic involves cooking, for example, barbecue, the products for this will have to be carried in a separate thermal bag, shifting them with ice. They have nothing to do in a picnic basket.
There was the last obligatory element of the basket – drinks. You can’t do without them, but you don’t need to be too zealous either. It is not necessary to carry compotes, fruit drinks or soda with you. Ordinary water will be quite enough to quench the emerging thirst, while sweet drinks will only increase it. You also need to be very careful with alcohol. Of course, a bottle of good wine or champagne as an addition to a romantic conversation will come in handy, but beer or even more vodka will be completely superfluous, especially in hot weather.
And when everything you need is collected, it is worth remembering one small but very important detail. Regular trash bags won’t take up any space in your basket, but they’ll help keep your picnic area neat and tidy.