What food to take on an outdoor picnic. What to take with you on a picnic in the summer. What you need to take with you on a picnic

Spring and summer are a time for long gatherings in nature. What could be better than getting together with loved ones, going to a lake, a park, a forest, where everyone can relax body and soul.

In order for a picnic to bring only pleasure, you need to prepare for it in advance: we advise you to decide what products to take, as well as make a list of dishes to prepare.

Note! Depending on the season of the planned picnic, products may vary. If in summer it is more important to take fresh vegetables, then in spring it is better to give preference to pre-prepared snacks.

Depending on who you're picnicking with, different food ideas may arise. If this is a festive event, then preference is given to simple but satisfying dishes.

You shouldn’t put ready-made salads on elegant plates - the best option would be to use plastic containers or store-bought disposable containers: you can also beautifully decorate snacks in them.

In addition, you can additionally take homemade sauces with you. They are appropriate to use both on a picnic with children and adults. For kids, mild sauces made from sour cream are relevant; for friends, other options are suitable: mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup.

You can mix these ingredients, add herbs, garlic, and get an original addition to meat dishes and barbecue.

Menu for a holiday picnic

It happens that you can celebrate a birthday outdoors, especially if the weather is favorable. When going on a picnic with a group of people by car, you have the opportunity to take a lot of dishes prepared at home.

Some holiday options from the menu:

1. Sausages – these can be fried over a fire while the kebab is being prepared.
2. Fresh vegetables - tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, radishes - you can cut all this in nature, the main thing is not to forget the knife.
3. Sliced ​​meat and dairy products: sausage, ham, cheese.
4. Olives and olives - they are always held in high esteem by children, in addition, they can be added to any salad.
5. Homemade pickles are suitable for a festive barbecue picnic in the spring.
6. Lettuce leaves filled with any filling: garlic with melted cheese, smoked chicken with boiled egg, feta cheese with herbs and even sprats.
7. Champignons are a proven snack option that goes great with fried meat. They can be grilled or simply marinated.
8. Vegetables on skewers alternating with hard cheese are an appetizer that looks beautiful and won’t spoil in the heat.

Among the drinks they usually prefer to take juices and mineral water. You should not take sweet carbonated water, it will make you want to drink even more.

Often picnics involve the presence of alcohol, especially when a group of friends gathers. In this case, it is worth bringing cider, beer or wine to the picnic. Such drinks will not cause discomfort in hot weather.

Important! It is best to cool alcohol at home or take cold storage batteries with you in a special bag. Thus, the drinks will retain their taste for a long time and can invigorate the body.

At a holiday picnic, it is better to leave the work with shish kebab to men - they definitely know a lot about cooking meat. The task of women is to marinate the product well the evening before.

One of the popular options is a mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup, or sour cream, and tomato. This marinade is suitable for pork, but chicken is more tender, so a different approach is needed here.

Take vegetable oil, a head of garlic, seasonings, and a bunch of herbs. Chop the herbs and garlic, add 2 kg of chopped chicken fillet. Add oil and season everything.

Simple and affordable salads and picnic snacks

There is no need for complications in cooking at a picnic; the main criterion for dishes is simplicity. You can cut food at home, fold it, and mix it with sauce or dressing outside. The situation is different with snacks: they must have an attractive appearance, so most often they have to be prepared at home.

The most popular dishes are those based on vegetables. Salads made from meat products, smoked meats, and seafood run the risk of spoiling when temperature conditions rise.

You can prepare the following dishes:

• Radish salad.
• Salad of bell peppers baked in the heat of the fire.
• Fruit salad.
• Zucchini paste.
• Eggplant rolls.
• Potato zrazy.

Everyone knows how much you want to eat while waiting for meat grilled on coals. Its subtle aroma spreads throughout the forest, and pictures of delicious and juicy pieces of kebab are drawn in your head.

To satisfy your hunger, you can have a small snack with salads. Cut the radish into slices, add chopped green onions, grated carrots, boiled egg and mayonnaise sauce - a delicious salad is ready!

Bake the bell pepper, cut it into strips, add tomatoes and herbs. Season the dish with vegetable oil and get an excellent light salad. You can also do this with fresh fruits, first cutting them at home and seasoning them with sour cream and sugar in the wild.

Choose snacks according to your taste and planned budget. If a large company gathers, you can always instruct everyone to prepare something special. Don't forget two rules: dishes should be easy to prepare and satisfying.

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When going outdoors, take care of provisions. As a rule, in the fresh air your appetite awakens and you immediately want to eat something. Find out what food to take to a picnic so that it is appropriate and does not spoil.

What to eat on a picnic

The set of products depends on how long you are going on a picnic and whether you plan to make a fire. If you are going on vacation for the whole day, then you will need not only food for a picnic, but also water and other drinks.

What not to take on a trip:

• salads with mayonnaise;
• dairy products;
• cakes;
• pates;
• everything that cannot be stored for a long time without a refrigerator and quickly spoils.

Find out what foods to pack for a picnic:

• drinks (mineral water, juices, tea/coffee in a thermos);
• sauces, salt, vegetable oil, sugar, seasonings;
• greens, fruits and vegetables. They can be eaten fresh, grilled, cut into salads;
• bakery products, pita bread, cookies;
• cheeses, sausages, smoked meats, butter, cheese spread, sprats - for snacks, sandwiches, sausages to bake on coals;
• meat, fish - marinated so that you can cook over a fire, or already cooked and chilled.

It is better to cut sandwiches and salads directly in nature, so they will not spoil longer. Alternatively, chop each ingredient at home and wrap separately in foil or plastic wrap. A basket and a thermal bag are better suited for transporting food.

What to take to a barbecue on a picnic? In addition to marinated meat, make sure you have something to cook it with. Take a barbecue, skewers or grill grate. You will also need coals and lighter fluid.

If you are making a fire outdoors, then bring firewood, a spatula (to dig a hole for the fire and then bury it), brushwood/paper for kindling, holders for skewers or grill grates (fireproof bricks will do). Be careful with the fire, don't start a fire and don't get burned.

What can children take on a picnic?

If there are children on a trip to nature, then what to prepare for a picnic should be approached with greater responsibility. The child’s body reacts faster and much more sharply to spoiled foods, so everything perishable should be immediately excluded. In addition, due to the imperfections of their digestive tract and allergies, certain foods may be contraindicated for children.

Let's find out what to take to a children's picnic so as not to cause harm to health and whet the child's appetite with a beautiful design:

• Tartlets are baskets of unleavened dough filled with salad. Make a salad of fresh cucumber, boiled eggs and avocado, add greens and canned corn. Season with mayonnaise and lightly salt. For another salad, cut tomatoes and yellow peppers into cubes, chop feta cheese and olives, add herbs, season with olive oil and salt. The third filling for tartlets is simple to prepare - mix curd cheese and chopped dill.

• Chicken skewers. Pre-marinate the fillet with onion rings in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and honey. During the picnic itself, soak wooden or bamboo sticks in water. Then thread pieces of meat onto them, alternating with pieces of lettuce, tomatoes, and zucchini. Grill the kebabs over the fire and serve with pita bread and lettuce.

• Sausages in batter. The dish is cooked over a fire; the batter makes the dish more interesting and filling. To prepare the batter, mix a teaspoon of sugar and dry yeast in a glass of water. Leave for five minutes to dissolve the ingredients. Pour into a bowl, where pour two cups of flour and pour in 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil. Stir the dough well, cover with a towel and place in the sun for half an hour. Then string the sausages onto bamboo skewers, dip them in batter and fry them over a fire.

• Baked apples are very easy to make. Cut each apple in half, cut out the core, place a nut and a piece of butter inside, sprinkle with sugar. Wrap each apple half in foil and bake on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

In addition to these dishes that you will prepare at the picnic, take plenty of drinks and a variety of snacks from home. Gingerbread cookies, cookies, homemade cakes, fruits and sweets will be in demand.

When going on a picnic, pay due attention to the choice of products. They should not spoil quickly, but remain appetizing after transportation.

Create a menu if there is a large company and you will spend the whole day outdoors. Include kebabs and various dishes that can be prepared in nature. Enjoy your day!

Natalya Kaptsova

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Summer is almost here! A little more, and parents will breathe freely, hiding their children’s school backpacks in closets. A little more, and every family will get ready to go on the road - to relax in nature, walk children tired from the school year and forget about the bustle of the city. The main thing is not to forget anything.

Therefore, having chosen the place and time of the picnic, We study the list of necessary things and products for a picnic in advance …

What to take to a picnic from food and products - a list of what to prepare for a picnic for the whole family

• Fruits and vegetables. They should be washed and packed in advance so as not to waste time outdoors. And there is a limited amount of clean water at a picnic (take more!). You will need it for fish soup, delicious tea, washing your hands and washing your little ones. Do not get carried away with exotic fruits, so as not to spend your picnic behind the bushes closest to the parking lot. For vegetables, they usually take a standard set - tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, zucchini for kebabs, potatoes (small - for baking), bell peppers, onions - for kebabs and fish soup. By the way, you can boil the potatoes in advance at home in their skins.

• Canned food. We are, of course, not talking about stew (unless your plans include a week-long trip with a tent), but about canned food for side dishes - corn, beans, green peas, olives, lightly salted cucumbers, etc.

• For sandwiches. It is advisable to choose ready-made cuts in packages in the store to save yourself time on a picnic - hard cheeses, sausage or boiled pork, lard, etc.

• Meat, fish, eggs. It’s better to fry the fish at home in pieces, choosing fillets (it will just be too lazy to fiddle with the bones, and it will give children an extra headache). The meat can also be cooked at home or marinated for kebabs (about 0.5 kg for 1 person) and taken with you in a convenient container for cooking on the grill. Chicken kebab (by the way) cooks faster. There is also an option - chicken wings fried over a fire with spices. And, of course, cold fried chicken will be a joy for everyone - don’t forget about it, prepare it in advance. Boil the eggs the day before, hard-boiled.

• Sugar, salt, sauces (mayonnaise/ketchup), spices.

• Food for children. If your little ones don't eat grown-up food, make sure they have a party too. In addition to the basic nutrition of children, you can take their favorite fruits, juices, and sweets. It will be difficult to cook porridge over a fire, so the solution will be instant porridge - fortunately, there is no shortage of them today. Choose sweets without quickly spoiling creams and creams.
• Bread, bun(in different packages!), biscuits, crackers, cookies.

• Beverages - tea (in bags), coffee (it is especially tasty in nature), juices, water (with reserve), drinks for adults (in moderation).

A little about the rules for transporting and eating food on a picnic:

• Do not take perishable foods with you. We leave pates, raw eggs, cakes, soft cheeses, cottage cheese and all sorts of super-fresh buns at home.

• Buy a portable refrigerator for your car, or at least a cooler bag. Especially if you are vacationing with children. Transport ready meals only in it. If this is not possible, line the bottom of the bag with newspaper and line the food with bottles of cold water. In nature, you can make a refrigerator the old fashioned way - by digging a hole in a shady piece of land (sand) and hiding packaged food in it.

• All products and prepared meals should be placed in plastic containers - firstly, it’s convenient (nothing will spill, won’t get wrinkled, or lose its appearance), and secondly, the lids of the containers can be useful for setting the “table”.

It is clear that there is no point in carrying cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers and a bowl of cutlets with you if you are going to fry kebabs. But by the time this kebab is cooked, you will have time to get hungry 10 times. Therefore, look for a middle ground and take what is truly relevant and tasty.

List of things for a picnic for the whole family - what do you need for a picnic in nature?

Of course, the list of things will be different for everyone. If you are traveling on foot, for a day and alone, this is one option, but if you are traveling with a large group (family), for a weekend and with 2-3 cars, this is a completely different option.

Therefore, proceed from your needs, and we will tell you what may be useful at a picnic.

• Tent. Even if you are traveling for the day, it can be useful for those who want to relax, take a nap, sober up, or play pirates and mother daughters. A tent will also be useful, as it will save your heads from the sun and sudden rain.

• Sleeping bags, bedspreads, blankets, rugs - there’s absolutely no way to have a picnic without them.
• Oilcloth for the “table” . Or maybe even the table itself (folding), if there is enough space in the car.
• Folding chairs or sun loungers. Or air mattresses (beds) and pillows – for convenience (don’t forget about the pump). Folding chairs - for older people.

• Warm clothes in case the picnic is planned for a long time - with morning fishing, night songs by the fire with hot mulled wine and late awakenings to the singing of birds.
• For the fire. Charcoal for the barbecue, a hatchet for firewood (+ firewood if there is none on site), a spatula, lighters/matches, newspapers for ignition, gloves.
• Barbecue, skewers, grill grate. Foil for baking potatoes, fish or vegetables.

• Bowler under fish soup and mulled wine, cast iron frying pan, long spoon for stirring.
• For fishing: fishing rods/spinning rods, baits/attachments, fish tank, boat/pump, bait, fishing line, hooks/sinkers.
• For the table: disposable tableware - plates of different sizes and depths, glasses, plastic cutlery.
• Paper and wet wipes , toilet paper, liquid soap.
• Corkscrew, can opener , ordinary knives for cutting food, cutting board.
• UV Remedies, for tanning, against mosquitoes and ticks (sprays and creams, spirals).
• Sun umbrellas.
• Bathing items : swimsuits/swimming trunks, towels, inflatable rings and mattresses.
• First aid kit(iodine, brilliant green, bandages, plasters, activated charcoal, remedies for abdominal pain and indigestion, antispasmodics and analgesics, allergy medications, for the heart, etc.).
• For fun : guitar, radio or receiver, games (chess, backgammon, etc.), ball, frisbee, badminton, book or newspaper with crosswords.
• For children: toys (easy to clean), a set of young sandcastle builders, a pool for little ones, markers/albums (if the kids are drawn to creativity). Be sure to have a change of clothes, comfortable shoes, warm clothes, hats for your heads and a navigator keychain for your neck (so you don’t get lost).
• Garbage bags so that after the picnic you can take all the garbage with you.
• Camera, camera, phone, flashlights . With a spare battery.

When going on a picnic in nature, it is easy to forget about something important. The consequences can be different: from mild inconvenience to a ruined mood. Therefore, in order to fully enjoy the outdoors, you should think carefully about what to take with you and what to prepare when going outdoors.

Necessary things

• Basket or cooler bag. It’s hard to imagine a camping trip without a picnic basket or cooler bag. The first will keep the food looking beautiful, and the second will also extend its shelf life. By the way, if you put a frozen bottle of water at the bottom of a regular bag, you will also contribute to better food preservation.
  
• Furniture (bedding) for a picnic. Taking care of what your vacation will be like is no less important than thinking over a menu for the outdoors. This could be a blanket, folding table, picnic chairs or other items on which you can sit comfortably.
  
• Equipment for making a fire. In order not to waste time looking for brushwood, you can prepare firewood or charcoal in advance. Special lighter fluids will also be useful. Matches are suitable for both regular and long-burning matches (for windy or wet weather). It's even better to replace them with a lighter.
• Picnic dishes. First you need to determine the required number of dishes. This includes cutlery for each picnic participant, dishes for all dishes, and backup options in case an unexpected guest joins or something gets dirty. The best option is a set of disposable tableware.

Devices for preparing and heating food. The choice depends on what you plan to cook. It may:

• fish soup pot;
• barbecue set (skewers, grill, spears, etc.);
• barbecue maker;
• cutting board;
• knives, a corkscrew and a key for opening canned food.
• cloth gloves for turning skewers.

The most pleasant and affordable pastime that will help you escape from the bustle of the city is going out into nature. Most people associate the smell of barbecue and warm sun with a trip to the forest, to the river or relaxing in a city park and entices them to go on a picnic with family or friends. Such a trip is always accompanied by delicious food and pleasant company, and a non-standard menu will leave a pleasant impression of your vacation. By carefully preparing in advance and determining for yourself what food to take with you on a picnic, you can not only stock up on delicious dishes in sufficient quantities, but also insure yourself against food poisoning caused by perishable foods.

Catering in nature

Before deciding what dish will be prepared, you need to determine the format of the picnic and where it will take place. You should take cutlery, dishes and other equipment based on the situation. Unintentionally left behind barbecue coals at home or lack of necessary appliances can turn a comfortable trip into a real disappointment. Knowing what equipment to take with you on a picnic can greatly simplify the process of organizing a picnic.

1. Equipment for making a fire. There is nothing more romantic than time spent around the fire, talking, singing and telling stories - true or fictitious. To start a fire you will need: matches (lighter), coals, paper or firewood if cutting down trees is prohibited in the picnic area. To stock up on dead wood and chop firewood in wild conditions, you can take both a hatchet and a band saw. The latter option is suitable for those who have limited space in the car and cannot take too much with them.
2. Cooking equipment. If you decide to cook food outdoors, you should take a grill with skewers or a gas burner with you. The utensils you should take include several knives, a cutting board, and a corkscrew. One of the things you should definitely take with you on a picnic are garbage bags.
3. Dishes. At a picnic you will definitely need plates, glasses, forks and spoons, as well as bowls for salads. Disposable tableware will be very useful at a picnic, since it does not need to be washed, and therefore waste time and water.

Products you can't live without

Without some products, no vacation would be complete, and when deciding what to take with you on a picnic, you should not forget about them. These, of course, include plenty of water, salt, spices, butter and bread.

Vegetables and fruits are great snack foods, especially with the family. They won’t cause much trouble during cooking: vegetables can be cut into large pieces or made into a salad, and fruits can be simply washed.

In addition, drinks, juices and, if desired, alcohol will be useful.

A special charm to a picnic is given by potatoes baked in smoldering coals, which is one of the most popular food products that you can take with you to a picnic.

A variety of smoked meats and cheeses will be an excellent option for a snack and addition to the main meal. Also, don’t forget about barbecue meat.

Picnic food you can prepare at home

It is not always possible to prepare food in the field. The reasons can be completely different, ranging from the lack of necessary equipment to the ban on lighting a fire at the picnic site.

If you have decided that you need to take ready-made food with you on a picnic, you can give free rein to your imagination and choose dishes that best suit the preferences of vacationers. For meat dishes, you can prepare baked poultry at home, wrap it in foil and cool it. When deciding what food to take with you on a picnic, in the summer you should not forget about homemade cakes, which will be an excellent snack in nature. Delicious cookies or fluffy buns will please everyone and are unlikely to return home. Desserts such as homemade pie will also be very popular, and when choosing what to take with you on a picnic, you should not refuse them.

Homemade cheese buns

When planning what to take with you on a picnic, you can’t forget about homemade buns. They will be an excellent snack before the main meal in nature and will not let you die of hunger on the road.

Salt, soda and turmeric are added to the flour intended for cheese buns and the resulting mixture is ground with vegetable oil. Kefir and chopped parmesan are also added here. Now the dough is thoroughly mixed and left in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. At this time you need to turn on the oven. Then the dough is shaped (it should not be thicker than 1.5 cm) and, if desired, sprinkled with sesame seeds. Bake the buns in the oven for up to 40 minutes.

Spicy-sweet wings

There are situations when it is not possible to light a fire in a vacation spot, and there is simply no barbecue. In this case, it is better to prepare a meat dish at home that will be tasty even when cold.

Before cooking, the wings should be washed and dried with a paper towel or left to dry while the sauce is being prepared. Grate the ginger and mix it with honey, salt, a pinch of ground chili pepper and teriyaki sauce. The sauce can be replaced with soy sauce and rice vinegar. The mixture is boiled for about 10 minutes over low heat. Next, half the sauce is mixed with the wings and baked in an oven preheated to 200 0 C.

The wings are cooked for 15 minutes, after which the second half of the sauce is added to them and baked for another 15 minutes.

Dishes prepared in nature

Food cooked or baked in nature has a special taste, and the process of preparing it brings more joy than standing inside four walls at the stove. There are many delicious recipes that you can take with you on a picnic and easily cook on a grill, campfire or burner outside the city. All treats prepared in nature will be most welcome, since it is very easy to get hungry in the fresh air.

Chicken kebab with honey

Shish kebab has already become a traditional dish for outings outside the city. It looks like it was made for a picnic. The huge variety of cooking methods is already starting to make your eyes run wild. Today, kebabs are prepared from pork, poultry, lamb and fish.

The marinade for chicken kebab should be made in advance. You can use the most common recipe, but with the addition of honey, which will make up approximately a third of the total composition. Before the chicken is marinated, some of the mixture should be poured out to soften the kebab during the cooking process. The marinated chicken should be in the refrigerator for about two hours.

So, marinated chicken, some of the marinade and vegetables are all you can take with you on a picnic. Next, the chicken shashlik with honey is made in the same way as a regular shish kebab: the products are skewered one by one, left on the grill grate or over the coals of the fire, often turned over and fried until the juice becomes clear.

Prune rolls in bacon

Prunes in bacon will be an excellent replacement for the usual kebab. The recipe for making it is very simple and quick, but you can’t do it without a grill.

Things to bring to a picnic in this case include prunes, chopped bacon, sauce and toothpicks. Prunes dipped in sauce are wrapped in bacon and secured with a toothpick. The sauce should have the same taste as bacon and prunes. Grill the rolls for 2-4 minutes, then turn them over. A juicy, delicious prune dish will go well with potatoes and lettuce.

Grilled mackerel

Fresh mackerel cooked outdoors is not only a wonderful dish, but also a very healthy addition to your daily diet. Fresh fish is cleaned, the insides are removed and left to marinate. Then the marinated mackerel, stuffed with basil leaves and lemon, is placed on the grill and fried for 15 minutes on each side. The grate must be oiled before use. The metamorphosis that occurs with the fish during this half hour is noticeable, so it is always clear when the fish is ready. This rosy and aromatic dish is served with vegetables. Instead of basil and lemon, you can use oranges and ginger, which will make the mackerel more piquant and unusual.

Tomato and avocado salad

A juicy salad will be irreplaceable in hot summer weather. For a tomato and avocado salad you will need tomatoes, olive oil and walnut oil, avocado, mozzarella cheese, chopped herbs, lemon juice. Sliced ​​avocado is sprinkled with juice and mixed with washed and chopped tomatoes, mozzarella and herbs. All this is seasoned with oils and served on the table. This salad goes well with croutons. It will be an excellent addition to meat dishes.

Grilled eggplant

This popular Italian dish is very easy to prepare, but goes well with grilled meats and a variety of cheeses. Sliced ​​eggplant is fried on both sides. After cooking, the dish is salted, poured with olive oil and a small amount of vinegar. Chopped garlic and mint are added here. The dish turns out tasty and enjoyable even in very hot weather.

Every family, every company has its own taste preferences and decides for itself what to take with you on a picnic. Recipes and menus can be as varied as your imagination allows.