It’s hard to believe that it’s already May and that we’re approaching several months of sunny, sweater-less weather. Like flower petals, some states are slowly opening, too, including many once-closed parks, which means it’ll be hard to resist the urge to picnic.
The good news: If you are careful and conscientious, you can dine outside without endangering yourself or others. (But bring a face mask!) Here’s what to keep in mind and how best to prepare.
Plan your location
If you have your own private green space, like a backyard, consider holding your picnic close to home. Otherwise, plan your park visit in advance. Confirm the opening hours, and try to go at an off-time to avoid crowds.
In Indianapolis, for example, parks are packed. “We’re seeing demand for outdoor spaces, maybe like we’ve never seen,” said Linda Broadfoot, the director of Indy Parks and Recreation in Indianapolis. “We’re seeing not just overuse, but misuse.”
Choose wisely, too. Popular outdoor spots may be jammed with people coming from all over your city to bask. A neighborhood park might be a safer bet. After all, a picnic only calls for a blanket-size piece of grass.
In Philadelphia, the favored waterfront areas have become overcrowded. Fortunately, 90 percent of city residents live within a 10-minute walk of a recreation space, noted Kathryn Ott Lovell, the commissioner of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. “If you take a car, the park is too far,” she said.
Pack heavy
Any good outdoor tool kit contains a mask, hand sanitizer and gloves. If you’re visiting a park, keep in mind that park services might be closed. Don’t count on open bathrooms or functioning water fountains. Instead, bring plenty of water with you.
Public picnic tables could also be cordoned off (and you might not want to lug a bottle of disinfectant in your basket). Pack a blanket or, if you have trouble sitting on the ground for a while, lawn chairs.
The safest people to picnic with are your quar-pod (meaning the people from whom you’re not distancing), but if you invite others, each quar-pod should bring its own setup. Set up your blankets to be six feet apart, like a little picnic archipelago.
Or, the Paul Cocksedge Studio, a design firm based in London, released a free template to make a futuristic-looking social-distancing blanket. It is a circular cloth with the center cut out, sort of like a hub-and-spoke wheel, with “seats” along the perimeter.
Prep the menu
If you’re commingling pods, one option is to coordinate menus beforehand, since pre-pandemic, you’d all have eaten the same thing. You can each try your hand at the same set of recipes and compare results. If you’re running low on a certain ingredient, check out NYT Cooking’s helpful guide to the substitutions you can use instead.
When planning your menu, think of dishes that do well outside, like finger foods. Get some pita chips and some potato chips, and make some dips. (Making food is also a good way to relax and kill time, if you’re bored.) Green Goddess dip zings with herbs, and guacamole is always a solid choice. Also, hummus is really simple to whip up: You can make Krysten Chambrot’s in just five minutes.
You also can’t go wrong with a cheese and meat platter. For the cheeses, select one that’s spreadable (like Brie), a blue cheese and at least one hard option (did someone say manchego?). Pick up some salami, prosciutto and crusty bread or crackers. Add grapes, nuts or olives. Pack each item in separate containers, and assemble at the park so nothing gets soggy. Pack your ingredients in separate containers, and assemble it at the park so nothing gets soggy.
Or, if you’re in the mood for something sweet, bake … anything. Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies take under an hour to make. If that’s too long, Banana Everything Cookies are also a cakewalk — you could throw them together in 15 minutes. And Rice Krispie Treats are always great. Try them with pretzels and chocolate.
Your picnic might also be a great opportunity to support a local restaurant. For example, Chef’s Palette, a restaurant and bar in Cary, N.C., is selling a family-sized “Grandma’s House” special, which comes with heaping plates of comfort food.
“We came up with these family meals, reasonably priced, knowing that a lot of our community folks are also not working,” said Kathie Clark, the owner. If you live in the Raleigh area, she also makes homemade pies for $10.
Remember: Not sharing is caring
You should refrain from using any public barbecue pits and passing any food back and forth between quar-pods.
Coordinate with the other group beforehand to make sure you both have drinks, condiments and utensils. There’s a zero-percent chance that you won’t be asked to pass the ketchup or lend a fork.
Play a game
Leave the Frisbees and soccer balls at home, especially since you can’t control where they might land (potentially in the middle of another socially distanced picnic). And steer kids away from any public equipment. “There is no easy way to sanitize play structures between uses,” said Andy Field, the director of Parks and Recreation for the City of San Diego. He has closed playgrounds there until further notice.
Bring several different games instead. The app Heads Up! is a fun option. Hold your phone to your forehead and the screen will show a “name.” (You are the only one who cannot see it, so you are the only one doesn’t know who “you” are.) Try to guess, from your friends’ clues.
Or, try Midpoint, a word-association game. Sit in a circle, and start with two different nouns, like “time” and “dessert.” (You don’t need to prep the words beforehand — just start with the first two that come to mind.) On the count of three, two people try to come up with the “midpoint,” or the thing that both words have in common. (One plausible answer: sand, as in an hourglass.) If they guess the same word, the game is over. If they guess different words, the midpoint moves down the circle. One of the guessers pairs with the person next to them, and so on.
Charades is also great. Have each group make its own suggestions, and draw from its own hat. Mix up the teams, to guess.
And, please, clean up after yourself
In general, just don’t litter. Not only is it rude, it pollutes the environment and places an undue burden on emergency workers.
“It has always been about an ecological conservation practice,” said Homer Garcia III, the director of the San Antonio Parks & Recreation Department. “In this instance, it has taken on a new meaning.”