National Picnic Month Guide and Recipes

July is National Picnic Month, and who doesn’t love a good picnic?

We have some handy suggestions and recipes on what to bring for your next picnic.

Cheese and Fruit

Whenever we think of picnics, fruit and cheese are always a must, and there is science behind this delicious combo. We eat fruit with our cheese because the combination of flavors is complementary; the fruit brings out specific notes in the cheese or vice versa. So you have sweet and juicy against salty and savory, firm versus soft, and so on.

Here are some fruit and cheese pairings to help guide you;

• Cheddar and Brie- Pairs with a variety of Apples (Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, and Granny Smith)
• Cream Cheese and Swiss- paired with fresh Raspberries or Raspberry jam
• Mozzarella- pairs with fresh or dried Cranberries, as well as Cranberry jam
• Gouda and Cheddar- paired with a variety of Grapes
• Brie and Blue Cheese- pairs with Pears 

Play around with your tastebuds; in our opinion, there is no right or wrong way to enjoy fruit and cheese.

Accompany all this with your favorite bread or crackers.

Don’t forget your meats! 

Cured meats are the way to go regarding a picnic. It is easy to transport and will last longer than fresh meat slices.

• Salami
• Summer sausage
• Ham/ Prosciutto 
• Capicola
• Soppressata

The meat’s saltiness will go nicely with the contrasting flavors of the fruit and cheese.

Nuts and Seeds

No, this isn’t for the birds! 

Nuts and seeds are a great way to add different textures and flavors to your picnic. 

Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, whatever you want.

Nuts and seeds come in various flavors, from sweet to smokey, spicy, and everything in between. 

Drinks

Don’t forget your water, especially since you will be outside most of the day.

Reusable jugs and water flasks are easy to transport and keep your water cool throughout the day.

Soda and juice are great, but what makes a picnic a proper picnic is a lemonade. 

Here is a fast and simple recipe for homemade lemonade

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup white sugar

1 Cup Water

10-11 lemons

7 cups of cold water (ice water)

Directions

1. Make a simple syrup-combine sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar while the mixture is coming to a boil; stir until no granules remain. Set aside to cool, but not completely.
2. Squeeze your lemons. Cut in half lengthwise, and squeeze into a liquid measuring cup. Discard any seeds.
3. Pour 7 cups of cold water into a pitcher. Stir in lemon juice and add simple syrup.

Adjust for taste. Add inclusions such as fresh berries, basil, or mint if you’d like.

Dessert

Nothing finishes off the perfect picnic like something sweet!

Coconut macaroons are the perfect picnic cookie.

Light, sweet, and tender, these cookies will surely please you and your loved ones at your next picnic. So easy to transport, and you can bake them to make the night before. 

Ingredients 

1 ¾ Cup sweetened shredded coconut

1- 14 ounce can of Sweetened Condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg whites, at room temperature, recommended

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.
3. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer with a whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Then, carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. 
4. Dollop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper; you can use a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.
6. Optionally, after the cookies have cooled, you can dip them in melted chocolate for a little extra something special.

Happy National Picnic month, Enjoy!

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