Picnic Perfect
Fourth of July is the most picnic-iest holiday of the year, and we’re here to help you pack the most delicious, envy-inspiring, locally-sourced picnic basket of your life. You’ll notice that we didn’t make any of the food ourselves; that’s because this is a perfect picnic and we all work too much as it is. We wanted to create a basket that is hassle-free, work-free, mess-free, and fork-free. Pack this picnic for your next outing and enjoy.
Vodka Watermelon: The vodkamelon is legend; like something that your cousin’s friend had at a picnic once or something you saw in a perfect Pinterest picture (blerg). So we put the booze melon to the test and tried to make one of our own. After this experience, we have come to the conclusion that the vodka watermelon is 80 percent a thing. Check out the story on Page 22 for details.
Cheese and Meat Tray: Deconstructed sandwiches, anyone? They’re easier to prepare than the traditional bread-meat-cheese-veggie-spread-bread stack, nothing gets soggy, and everyone gets just what they like. We stopped by Provisions in Northampton and challenged them to make a $15 tray with three meats and two cheeses. The cheesemonger was up to it. She sliced us some truffle mortadella, speck, paprika sausage, aged Gouda, and a soft goat cheese with vegetable ash from Blue Ledge Farm in Vermont. To save money, we opted to slice the cheese and arrange the platter ourselves.
Fresh Fruits and Veggies: Stop by a farmers market on the way to the park — for market times and dates, check out this story online — and pick up something fresh to snack on. We were looking for Hadley Grass, but have been told by at least one grocer that only God can help us find local organic asparagus this time of year, so we got a basket of juicy, sweet strawberries instead from the Pepin Farm stand at the Florence Farmers Market.
Fresh Bread: Soft, fresh baked star bread made by hand the old-fashioned way at Mercolino’s in Springfield’s South End is the perfect vehicle for jam or cheese. They’ve been in business selling bread to area restaurants and walk-in customers for almost 100 years, so they’ve got a pretty good idea of what they’re doing.
Stuffed Grape Leaves: Zesty, tangy Mediterranean stuffed grape leaves make great finger food for a picnic. They’re like cute little green burritos filled with dill and rice. These dolmas from Nadim’s in Springfield flew right off the plate at our picnic.
Pie: No picnic is complete without a pie, preferably one that travels well. To meet this criterion, and largely out of curiosity as to what frangipane is — it’s a filling made with flavored almonds — we picked a Caramelized Fig and Frangipane Tart from Pie Bar in Florence. We don’t regret it.
Clam strips: Clam strips go with picnics like extra napkins and a cutting board — you might not always think to pack them beforehand, but if you do, you’ll be glad. We picked up these from the Snack Shack in Williamsburg. They’re tender and buttery with just the right amount of salt. Best of all: they taste great hot or cold. Word of warning: Try to use up all your tartar sauce in the first hour of munching. Mayo + Sun = No fun.
Pinot Noir: We grabbed a bottle of Sunset Red from the Mount Warner winery in Hadley because we wanted a not-too-heavy red wine that would go well with whatever we impulsive omnivores threw in our basket.
Cucumber Sandwiches: “Hallo! Why all these cups? Why cucumber sandwiches? Why such reckless extravagance in one so young? Who is coming to tea?” — The Importance of Being Earnest, Act One, Scene One
Easthampton Water: Only the best for us Advocate picnickers — even when it comes to the water in our canteens. Luckily, Easthampton’s was judged the best-tasting drinking water in the U.S. by the National Rural Water Association in 2015.
