Picnic!

For a while this summer, I’ve been working on a project that had no firm finish date and allowed me to enjoy the process – putting together a “for real” picnic basket. I don’t mean a cooler and a random stack of paper plates and Solo cups gathered in a hurry for an impromptu cookout, although I’m not turning up my nose at that. I had in mind a far more elegant arrangement, which was brought to the front of my mind by re-reading Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Romancing the Ordinary. At first, I was skeptical – I often am at the idea of adding “slow down frills” to my life. Then I am usually reminded of how great the outcome is when I do these things – that’s a picture of my own picnic at the top of this post.

The trick to preparing the basket is to go slowly through a number of thrift shops. This isn’t about buying an expensive, pre-packed hamper. Why, just the other day, I found a small picnic basket with a lid that doubled as a cutting/serving board over at the discount grocery store Aldi. I already had a lovely, good-sized wicker picnic basket that was once my father’s and I have those wonderful mid-century cotton tablecloths of my mother’s, along with an old set of heavy cutlery and cloth napkins, so I had a start. It was when I started making my “wish list” for what to pack in the basket that I had to make decisions. The practical thing would be to use plastic. I didn’t want to. I acknowledge that if you’re packing for a children’s teddy bear picnic that things need to be sturdy, durable, and nonbreakable. But this was to be a picnic basket for a Diva.

This is where thrift shops come in.

People are getting rid of good glass and china left and right, thinking that it “doesn’t suit their lifestyle,” and maybe they’re right. To an aspiring Diva, roaming the aisles of thrift stores and coming across Noritake, Lenox, and Villeroy & Boch for a dollar each is like finding emeralds scattered on the kitchen table. I didn’t necessarily want a matching set, but sometimes the heavens smile and there they are, just sitting there prettily. After a good wash, I had dishes, solid highball glasses, and delicate drinkware, all at a dollar apiece.

Next – this is not the occasion for packing light! Yes, that means you’ll need at least one other bag in addition to the basket. You want a waterproof pad to put under the picnic blanket, and why not include a few pillows? I can testify that is something I never would have thought of, but it was fantastic to prop the pillows against a large, shady tree. Why not include a small vase and go picking wildflowers? Add a cutting board (still working on that), a small Swiss Army knife with blade and corkscrew. Don’t forget sunscreen and bug spray – along with this little trick. Take something small and sweet (I used a foil-covered package of applesauce) and open it about 30 feet away from your picnic. The ants and bugs will go over to it and leave you alone. If this isn’t a picnic-for-one, you might want to include paper towels, a garbage bag, and a damp sponge in a plastic bag. If is IS a picnic-for-one, include a good book and an umbrella/parasol. The list can go on and on to suit your particular likes, but this should be a decent starting point.

Where should you place your picnic? Think about lovely, quiet places with trees. Maybe your city park is a good place, or your town square. Maybe you’ll take a drive to an orchard or up to the mountains. Obey your own taste in choosing this – the same goes for your company. I was able to have my first “Diva picnic” during the week, which was wonderful, but also meant I was having a picnic-for-one. That’s okay, you know. If you can’t stand your own company, you probably aren’t much fun for others. And remember to wear what you like. In my part of the Sticks, it is crazy hot right now (the “Dog Days of Summer” are quite real here) and crushingly humid, so something loose and swingy worked for me.

As for the food – it’s a picnic, so you’re probably thinking about cold dishes. While you can go as fancy as you like – something I will always encourage – just make sure whatever you take is delectable and well-suited to your tastes. Think sandwiches (since mine was a picnic-for-one, I cut mine into quarters), nuts, seasonal fruit, hummus and crackers, cheese, and something small, but incredibly luscious for dessert. I had amazing chocolates from a recent trip to a world-class chocolatier that were(from left on the plate) filled with lavender, olallieberry (which is a fruit created by crossing blackberries and raspberries; I had never heard of it before I went to the chocolatier), and espresso. Three were really too many, but I persevered. To drink, I suggest something festive like sparkling berry or ginger kombucha, pink lemonade, or fresh-brewed tea, but again, I leave that up to your own Diva sensibilities.

The experience was a smashing success and I’ve got the basket packed and ready to go by the back door, with the pillows and blanket packed in a bag in my car trunk. Being ready to go makes it much easier to actually go.

Why not start putting together your own picnic basket and try a picnic before summer ends?

Go forth, Divas!