Rising temperatures, blooming flowers, green grassy lawns, good friends and good food – the basic recipe for a picnic. But if you want to take your outdoorsy dining experience one step further the has put together a few of their favourite tips to packing a perfect ‘farm to fork’ picnic.
Tip 1: Bring the cutting board! While this may seem a little strange, your cutting board makes a perfect ‘flat surface’ to put your drinks on to avoid any spillage. Let’s face it – no one wants to sit on a soggy blanket!
Tip 2: MASON JARS - a ‘farm’ essential. These inexpensive glass jars can provide endless opportunities when packing your picnic basket. Available in multiple sizes, the Beretta Kitchen loves using smaller sized ones for drinks. They’re environmentally friendly, incredibly cute and with handy little add-ons like these lids and straws from Canadian Tire, they’ll keep your drinks bug free. Along with ‘sippy cups’ smaller mason jars make great vessels for carrying your veggies and dip! Layer your dip along the bottom, then fill with your veggies and you’re good to go. It saves space in your picnic basket and also helps eliminate mess(see image below). For larger mason jars, this summer we’re all about layered salads (see image below). Similar to the veggies and dip, put your dressing in first, then layer all your greens on top. When ready to eat simply shake and serve!
Tip 3: Along with layered salads, we think coleslaw is another perfect picnic addition. It will satisfy your need for crunch and can be pre-dressed with no fear of it going soggy. Because you’re going to be out in the sun we recommend choosing a recipe that avoids using mayonnaise, but if you’re a creamy coleslaw advocate pop it in a cooler with some ice packs to avoid any ‘health hazard’ mishaps.
Tip 4: Bring the beef! Did you really think the Beretta Kitchen could comprise a picnic tip list that didn’t include Beretta’s favourite protein? To make life easier we’re suggesting grilling and slicing up a Beretta flank steak, or as we call it, the perfect picnic beef cut. Flank steak is appealing for any picnic because it is inexpensive, can feed large groups, and you can grill and slice it ahead of time then serve it later at room temperature with it still being as delicious and juicy as ever. For tips on cooking flank steak, along with other picnic friendly dish ideas watch Cynthia Beretta speak to it on Global TV.
Tip 5: Make a list. We all know there’s nothing worse than that ‘I think I forgot something feeling.’ To help relieve some stress, here’s a picnic packing list we’ve started for you:
- The FOOD + salt & pepper so people can season accordingly and any desired condiments
- Ice packs
- Mason jars + disposable plates
- Your cutting board
- Utensils
- Tongs or serving spoons
- Napkins
- A garbage bag to put all your disposables in
- Blanket
- Sunscreen
- Hand sanitizer
Bonus Tip: The Beretta Kitchen can help you with all your picnic prep! Visit www.berettakitchen.com to learn about all the tasty ‘farm to fork’ salads, sandwiches and dips they can prepare for your upcoming picnic!
