By Katie Hurley
Picnic season is upon us, and we’re fortunate to live in an area where great picnic spots are abundant. (Check out ThurstonTalk’s ideas on where to picnic in Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater.)
August brings many opportunities to attend outdoor events with a portable feast. Music In the Park, the Pet Parade and Harbor Days, to name just a few.
With the discovery of some great Northwest foods, you can take your picnic fare to a whole new level. Let’s start with the sandwich….
Good, sturdy bread is the key to a good picnic sandwich. Choose a crusty French loaf of bread that can be sliced thickly. Consider some new sandwich condiments to transform the traditional into sublime. To a turkey sandwich, add thinly sliced Granny Smith apples, sliced Brie cheese and a little drizzle of smoky-sweet Papaya Chipotle Pineapple sauce from Earth & Vine Provisions. If you’re a roast beef fan, try adding Unbound Pickling’s Pickled Walla Walla Sweets and some crumbled blue cheese for a sandwich that is tangy, tart, sweet and sour all at the same time.
Bayview Thriftway has rows and rows of different mustards with a wide range of flavors including garlic, onions, chipotle chilies and wine. OlyKraut’s Spicy Garlic Chi, made right here in Olympia, is fantastic on a sandwich with sliced rotisserie chicken and a drizzle of teriyaki sauce. If you can take some moderate heat, try replacing mayonnaise with Sarayo, a combination of Sriracha sauce and mayonnaise.
When grilling isn’t possible but you’d like a barbecue flavor, slice up a cold rotisserie chicken and top your sandwich with some barbecue sauce and a scoop of coleslaw. Round out your picnic with a bag of chips, fresh Red Haven peaches and a box of Cougar Mountain Ballpark Cookies and you’re good to go! Cougar Mountain’s cookies are soft and chewy and come in a variety of flavors including some seasonal offerings.
Chips are a traditional picnic favorite, but for a unique twist, consider HalfPops. This crunchy, partially popped popcorn comes flavored with Natural Butter & Sea Salt or Natural Aged White Cheddar. Both flavors are gluten free, and these crunchy little morsels are sure to please any snacker.
When you don’t have time to cook, a quick picnic is easy to assemble. Pick up a fresh baguette, salami, some cheese, fresh deli salads and a bag of fresh cherries for a fast feast. Make sure you bring a knife and a cutting surface to slice the salami and cheese!
Other options for an instant picnic include made-to-order sandwiches, fresh deli salads, or a piece of smoked salmon paired with crackers and some grapes.
When we think of picnics, typically it is for lunch or dinner, but don’t rule out a packable brunch! Individual parfaits with yogurt, local raspberries and granola can be packed in small canning jars and served alongside scones or biscuits and some sliced ham and cheese. Fresh-squeezed juice and a thermos of hot coffee will round out the perfect brunch.
Set out your picnic in style with great multi-purpose accessories. A set of 4 brightly colored flour sack towels will make festive table coverings, and then double as cloths for cleanup or to wrap up leftovers. ChicoBag’s re-usable Snack Time bags are machine-washable and adjust to different sizes. A Zyliss sandwich knife has a sharp, serrated edge for slicing, and a wide blade that doubles as a condiment spreader. Epicurean’s compact cutting board, made from recycled milk jugs, will easily fit in any cooler or picnic basket and is dishwasher safe. Bayview offers a selection of stylish multi-purpose Reisenthel totes in fun, colorful patterns. They are large enough to hold a picnic for 8, and are nylon so they can be wiped clean.
At Bayview you’ll also find other handy picnic accessories like insulated wine carriers to keep your wine chilled, insulated lunch bags that look more like cute purses than lunch bags, and paper plates and napkins in fun patterns. Reusable drink bottles in all different sizes and colors are great for transporting drinks and keeping them cold.
All supplies available at Bayview Thriftway located at 516 4th Avenue West in downtown Olympia.
