Picnic Essentials

June is the month in which spring officially rolls into summer. It’s a beautiful transition and a great time to be outdoors, enjoying the area with a picnic among friends. Plus, there’s a ton of great parks, like TAMU’s Research Park and Lake Bryan, that are just a short distance away from your home at the Junction Cottages & Townhomes. But before you go, make sure you check out this list of picnic essentials:

4 Picnic Essentials to Pack for Your College Station Picnic

  1. Blanket. A good blanket is the foundation of a great picnic. It needs to be something that is large enough so to fit you, your friends, and your food and it needs to be easily washable. Because no matter how careful you might be, spilt orange juice and squashed cupcakes tend to be inevitable events. So don’t bring your gifted grandmother’s quilt! Instead, get a large tablecloth or cheap but sturdy quilt from Ikea.
  2. Basket. There are a lot of different ways to haul your food and picnic goods to the park. Canvas totes and laundry baskets are viable options. Although nothing will ever surpass the classic look, feel, and utility of a woven basket. Feel free to use what you have on hand for your next picnic, but if you love picnicking then we suggest keeping an eye out at thrift stores for a truly classic picnic basket.
  3. Mason jars (with drink treats inside). Mason jars are incredibly useful in general but especially for picnics. Use them to store and transport delicious homemade drinks like this berry iced tea or this strawberry lemonade. Or use mason jars to pack in delicious treats like this No Bake Key Lime Pie in a Jar. In short, mason jars really do, do it all.
  4. A Centerpiece Item. Finally, every classic picnic ought to have either have a main dish or plenty of smaller items together (like a charcuterie and cheese board) for people to snack on. You also can never go wrong with sandwiches. One unique and easy way to make one sandwich for everyone is via this unique Picnic Loaf idea. Just be sure to ask your friends about any foods they hate and leave the condiments off for everyone to add as they like.

Now Make it Your Own!

That’s the end of our list of must-have picnic essentials but, of course, it’s just the beginning. Don’t forget utensils appropriate to your dishes and bags to pack out the trash. But especially don’t forget to put your own touch on it! Good luck and happy solstice!