Green up Your Picnic

With the economy the way it is these days, people are choosing to spend time close to home and picnicking is one of the ways we can enjoy our families, friends, good food and nature without a huge out of pocket expense. You can purchase a great rolling cooler or picnic basket or backpack complete with dishes, glasses and utensil services and cooler compartments for about what it would cost for a family of four to have dinner at a restaurant. Plus you can enjoy it over and over again at outdoor concerts, picnics and days at the beach.

Here are 10 ways that you can help “green up” your picnics.

1.                Choose a Location Near You 

Hosting your own picnic? Choose a picnic site close to home, and walk or bike to your picnic location instead of driving. Look for a green space nearby — a local park, a sports field, or a friend’s backyard!

2.                  Use Re-Usable or Compostable Serveware

Instead of packing paper plates and disposable utensils, pack serveware that you can wash and use again and encourage your guests to do the same. There are picnic baskets and backpacks, and even rolling coolers with services for two or four people available at the Getaway Gourmet.

3.                  Bring Healthy Foods

The lower a food is on the food chain, the lower its impact on the environment. For example, it takes about 634 gallons of water to make a hamburger. So, add more fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes to your picnic meal — those things are good for you and the planet!

4.                  Pack Local, In-Season Ingredients 

Nothing ruins an eating-well high in the U.S. faster than seeing a sticker on your apple that says New Zealand (no offense, kiwis!).  Prevent the shipping-around-the-world blues by picking up your produce from a local farmer’s market.

5.                  Lose the Napkins

No one wants to walk around with mustard on her face, but paper napkins aren’t the answer. If you don’t have one of the picnic products from the Getaway Gourmet, use the picnic as an opportunity to use that cute gingham handkerchief that came with your cowboy Halloween costume five years ago. Or, you know, any old cloth napkin will do.

6.                  Compost and Recycle Your Trash

I bet someone at your picnic has a compost bin (Are you ready to give it a try? It’s easy!). Enlist that person to take home all the compostable scraps from the event, and another person to collect any recyclables.

7.                  Clean Your Picnic Site 

A good picnicker is one that doesn’t leave trash at his picnic site. A great picnicker is one who picks up trash at this picnic site. Use the picnic as an opportunity to make your local green space just a little greener.

8.                  Enjoy Nature

Once your meal is over, take some time to enjoy your natural setting. Take a hike, go bird-watching or just sit back and enjoy the sounds of nature. Have kids in tow? Try this Nature Treasure Hunt!

9.                  Use Electronics Wisely

Picnics are about reconnecting with nature, but we know that your electronic devices will make an appearance. Be sure to unplug your chargers when not in use to avoid “vampire power,” which accounts for about 10 percent of household energy usage.

10.              Support Nature! 

Help protect the places that you love to picnic by supporting environmental protection organizations!

Getaway to the Flower Fields in Carlsbad

Welcome to the Adventures of the Getaway Gourmet

Come and join us as we getaway to fun locations and enjoy our Getaway Gourmet products, recipes, and dining al fresco. We hope these getaways inspire you to search out great places and activities in your area. Thanks for watching and join us for more fun on Facebook , too.

History of the Getaway Gourmet

It is interesting how the Getaway Gourmet came about. I have always loved to be outdoors. Whether it is walking on the beach, or hiking in the mountains, or working in my garden, just breathing the fresh air and enjoying the beauty of nature gave me joy. I have traveled extensively and really immerse myself in the culture whenever possible, learning the language, history and traditions, and enjoying their food and music.

Another of my passions is cooking. For years I was a weekend cook. When my children were little, I was a single mom working all the time, so we would routinely stop to eat at one happy hour or another at different restaurants on the way home. It wasn't until the kids were grown and gone, and the demands upon my time were lessened, that I began to cook. Now, I am a gourmet cook and love to entertain.

Yes, I frequently have friends over for dinner or parties. I like wine tastings and food pairing. And I enjoy collecting plates, serving dishes, party-ware, and can spend hours at the kitchen and gourmet food stores. It was at one of these stores that I found this fabulous rolling cooler with all the plates, wine glasses, and stuff included.

It was the summer of 2006, and every Friday night there was a jazz concert in the park. I attended each performance, and without exception, someone would always come up to me and ask me where I had gotten that fabulous cooler? It was then that I decided I needed to sell these coolers. And now I do, along with picnic backpacks, wine and cheese totes, and great picnic baskets at www.thegetawaygourmet.com , a website I launched in October 2006.

I was able to combine my love of travel and the outdoors, with gourmet cooking, entertaining, great wine, and stylish, quality goods. And I started talking about all of my passions at www.facebook.com/getawaygourmet and here at The Adventures of the Getaway Gourmet blog. So, if you like the same things I do, I invite you to LIKE The Getaway Gourmet on Facebook, and receive special FANS ONLY discounts, FREE cookbooks, and FUN monthly drawings.  Also, keep up with the adventures of the Getaway Gourmet here at my blog and read about all the EXCITING things going on.

Italian Picnic Feast

Courtesy of  Sunset Magazine

Picnic Menu

AntipastoTray with Caponata

**Layered Torta with Ham, Provolone, Spinach, and Herbs- (Recipe in this months Free Cookbook )

Toasted Ciabatta Bread Slices

Cookies

Sangiovese Wine & Limoncello

Sicilian Bruschetta

Time: 50 minutes. Caponata, a sweet, tangy Sicilian eggplant-pepper relish, tastes downright addictive spooned over toasts with mild, creamy ricotta cheese.

Ingredients

·        1 loaf (1 lb.) crusty Italian bread such as ciabatta, cut into 1/3-in.- thick slices

                               About 6 tbsp. olive oil, divided

                               1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-in. dice (about 4 cups)

                              2 tablespoons minced garlic

                    1 cup chopped celery

·                                 1 cup chopped red bell pepper

·                                 1 cup chopped green olives

·                                 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

·                                 1/4 cup tomato paste

·                                 1/2 cup raisins

·                                 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

·                                 2 teaspoons kosher salt

·                                 2 teaspoons sugar

·                                 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

·                                 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

·                                 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

·                                 1 cup ricotta cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lay bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with about 2 tbsp. oil. Bake until toasted and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook eggplant, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

3. In the same pan, cook garlic in remaining 2 tbsp. oil, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add celery, bell pepper, and olives, stirring to combine, and cook until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water, the vinegar, tomato paste, raisins, and pine nuts and cook until heated through. Stir in reserved eggplant, salt, and sugar, then mix in herbs.

4. Serve caponata with ricotta on the toasted bread.

Make ahead: Chill caponata up to 2 days and store toasts airtight up to 2 days.

Packing tips

• Transport the caponata in a small, sealed container in a picnic basket. Wrap the toasts in a big napkin and put on top of the caponata. Stash the ricotta in a sealed container in a cooler.
• For the cookies, use a pretty box with a lid or a vintage tin lined with tissue paper.

For additional picnic supplies go to TheGetawayGourmet.com . "Like" us on Facebook to enter to win the Monthly Cooler Contest and get great Fan's Only discounts and Special Promotions.

Outdoor Culinary Adventure

Hudson Backpack available at TheGetawayGourmet.com

Let's getaway from it all. Unfortunately, many picnic spots become become crowded and it requires maybe hiking into some place where you can be alone. If you want to enjoy a meal away from the crowds, you may want to take a look at picnic backpacks as an alternative to the traditional picnic basket.


Picnic backpacks allow you to carry quite a bit of weight on your back without being uncomfortable. These are soft designs and are heavily insulated, in some cases, allowing you to carry cold or hot beverages long distances without significant temperatures change. 

Picnic backpacks are weatherproof, durable and a convenient way to carry your food and other items. There are quite a few different designs available and include plate, utensils, and glasses. Some will have thermos or wine totes and come in a variety of colors.


If this outing will be more than just a day trip and you plan to spend several days away camping in the wilderness here are some great gourmet backpacking dinner recipes.

Bocci and Bubbles

Going on a picnic? Food, drinks and picnic supplies are important, but don't forget to bring along some fun things to do. Consider your picnic spot first. How much room do you have? What is the terrain like? How many participants, etc? There are a lot of fun activities that you can do outdoors. From laying on a blanket next to the mountain stream reading a good book to a that softball game at the family reunion picnic in the park. You just have to remember to bring the book or the bat and ball.  So take the time to plan ahead.


Often there are both adults and children who will be participating, so think of games that everyone can play. One of my favorite games is bocci ball. This is good in a park setting where there is a large grassy area. You can play this with two people or two teams, it is easy to play, and the balls are easy to transport. They would be a good investment.

If there is an large open area without trees or power wires, flying a kite is always fun and it can be very meditative. It is a single activity so bring a couple different kites. There are so many types of kites these days, one handle or two, box or triangular shaped and a multitude of colors. Take your pick. If you can master a two handled kite that you maneuver all through the sky, it is fun for everyone to watch.


If there are children with you, bring along bubble solution for all of them and let them fill the air with bubbles. Or buy a small bubble machine and let the kids run around in the bubbles. You could bring a CD player and put the activity to music. Just be a little creative and all will have a great outing.