Have a Picnic

Picnics are my favourite thing to do outside. Growing up on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, warm summer days were occasions to celebrate and we did so by going on picnics. I could write a whole blog on picnics so I will do this as a series, starting with getting ready to go.

Mom kept an old suitcase packed with picnic things - cutlery, dishes, tablecloth, napkins, etc. It was then easy to make sandwiches, a salad and a quick dessert to take along . With today's concerns about the environment many of the things we did then are relevant today.

1. We always used reusable dishes and cutlery - older items that were no longer considered presentable on the dinner table but were fine for picnics.
   
2. Tea towels, a wet cloth in a jar, and a round metal wash basin came along for clean up time.
   
3. A fabric tablecloth and napkins were always packed in the suitcase, again those just past their prime for dinner table use.
   
4. Sandwiches were wrapped in a damp tea towel then placed in a covered tin - usually one that candy came in at Christmas.
   
5. Salad was in a bowl covered with a tea towel tied in place with string from the ball of saved string. (Dad loved to save string)
   
6. Dessert was also in a metal tin, often covered with a piece of well washed flour bag or tea towel before the lid went on.

After our picnic there was no garbage to leave behind or carry out. Everything was packed up and taken home for use the next sunny day.