Why Pack a Picnic?
Lunch at Mother Natures' Place Never Disappoints
There’s something incredible about transporting a meal in a basket to a beautiful outdoor setting, placing a blanket on the ground and settling in for a few hours to let yourself marinate in nature. I believe it’s the very best therapy you can get.
After a long and hectically busy winter on the farm I jumped at the first promise of a fine, warm spring weekend to create some delicious, nourishing food, pack a picnic bag and head into the forest to find a quiet place to sit and catch my breath for a moment. In our time strapped schedule I was expecting big things mental health wise from this microscopic time out, it didn’t let me down.
When I was a kid a picnic was a grand adventure, a rarity from the day to day. The food mum prepared and packed into containers was simple and delicious and those recipes are still a nostalgic and emotional connection to my 10 year old self.
Preparation would start the day before. Smells drifting from the kitchen seductively. Fingers smacked as they grabbed at forbidden delicacies emerging from the oven or coal range. The dining table was cleared and used as a makeshift base for all things picnic until it was time to pack the car. Dads red Holden; which always smelt like hay and dust from the road we lived on; would have the boot loaded up with the blue checked woollen blanket, a plastic bottle full of orange Raro, thermos and the chilly bin full of the picnic fare for the day.
The picnics we had were usually always after some kind of working bee on the big farm. There were many mouths to feed as family, farm workers and anyone that had the bad timing to be staying over the school holidays with me were roped in to help, many hands and all that!
The scene played out with a cast of many, Dad had the lead role, directing the show using his voice and a long drafting stick that could be an intimidating prop but one that was necessary for the bovine and ovine chorus who were notoriously bad at remembering their parts and very rarely made it to their stage marks on time! The set was simple and consisted of gates and rails surrounded in a green grass carpet with a centre stage floor that sent up billowing clouds of choking dust. The scenes were in sync with the seasons and performed to keep the chorus cast in tip top shape. Drafting cattle, administering shots to protect stock from various ailments that could kill them dead before we did, dipping animals for lice which always left you prickling and wondering if any of the hangers-on had found a way onto you or; one of the crowd favourites, docking lambs. The scenes would play out with all of us in our various roles, rushing our lines at first but then, gradually finding a rhythm that allowed us to make it to the end of the show. The intermission dangled in front of us, keeping us performing until it was called. No curtains we drawn but hands would be washed in the nearest creek or trough, the boot popped open and the food laid out on the blanket to be shared by those who’d been grafting that day.
Lunch would nearly always include a bacon and egg pie. Mum kept hens and was always happy to find ways to put the eggs to good use. Watties tomato sauce was the condiment of choice and generally the only one offered and lashings of it were squirted on to enhance the flavour - someone’s dad always joking that the sauce counted as a veggie serve! Sandwiches were made with fresh white bread and butter, there’d be a leaf of lettuce from the garden present, cheese and usually luncheon sausage or less often ham. The sandwiches were divine, still to this day I think one of my favourite childhood meals was a luncheon sandwich on white bread with sauce.
The savoury course out of the way, mum would produce a biscuit tin, see-saw off the lid and open it to reveal neatly stacked Louise Cake. A crisp biscuit base, a layer of raspberry jam course with the seeds and topped with a pileous coconut Swiss meringue. I was always a bit confused as to why it was called ‘cake’ when it was clearly of the slice genus. It’s confused classification has had no bearing on its success in the baking world as it’s number 6 on the Edmonds Cookbook top of the pops list.
At the same time the sweets were served the thermos lid was screwed off and tea was made for the adults, milk and sugar added to the plastic mugs, stirred with the one teaspoon that served us all and then a comfortable seat found to sip the tea and yarn about the days work, the weather, the plans of what was to come on the farming calendar and generally always a swipe at the current prime minister. The kids would divvy up the orange cordial and drink it back thirstily, leaving no traces in their paper cups just a shadow of an orange moustache on top lips to give a clue as to what was the thirst quencher of the day.
There would always be about a 20 minute window after the food for the adults to stretch out in the shade, hats over faces blocking the light and snores escaping from wide open mouths. The kids would head to the nearest creek to look for yabbies or step out of hot gummies and paddle in the fresh running water, stones turned in the stream, searches for treasure. A feather, an unusual leaf, a coloured rock. Worthless, priceless, currency for a 10 year old.
The very essence of a picnic is the location therefore the food must be robust enough to go the distance. Hence the famous saying “A croquembouche doth not a picnic dessert make”. Hearty pies that are good hot or cold, quiches, frittata or a damn good sandwich are all perfect and will make it to the destination intact and delicious. Sweets also need to be roadworthy, so slices, sweet pies or more dense cakes are just the ticket to satiate any sweet craving whilst eating al fresco.
So it was with our cooler bags packed and the sauvignon blanc chilled my man and I headed off to the back of the farm to glades that we had earmarked previously for just this kind of outing. We spread all the food on the blanket, I picked wildflowers and put them in a rustic A G Jar, we poured out the cold Sauv, sat down and proceeded to get attacked by clouds of hungry sandflies. Luckily I was wearing a frock that could be used in a tent like fashion to keep the midges at bay while my good man had to drape serviettes on his legs to deflect the biting bugs. Neither of these things were particularly effective. We vowed to leave bug repellent in the side by side in future.
We persevered and after a glass of wine the sandflies stopped biting or maybe I stopped caring? We both reflected on how incredibly relaxing it was to simply step away from it all and hide in the bush for a few hours. We chatted and nibbled at the food I’d prepared, we laughed and both said we should remember the insect repellent next time, and possibly more wine! We lay on the blanket and gazed up into the kaleidoscopic light as it ebbed and flowed through the trees and when the light started to dim and we felt the goose flesh rising on our arms and legs we reluctantly packed our bag and walked slowly back along the path to the farm buggy, commenting on how relaxed we felt and how we must do it again sooner rather than later.
The simple act of packing food and sharing it in a beautiful setting outside had made us both feel lighter somehow. Stepping away from the day to day, taking a few hours to slow down and be present was just what we were desperately in need of. As we were leaving the forest glade, I glanced back to where we’d placed the blanket for lunch and I saw that the grass was flattened down and dull, I knew it would only take a matter of hours and mother nature would restore it back to its original state. I smiled to myself. That’s exactly what she’d done for me this day and would; no doubt; do again anytime I called on her.
Recipes
Fabulous Fresh Frittata
Ingredients:
10 Eggs, lightly beaten
150g Asparagus, roughly chopped, woody ends discarded
1/2 head of Broccoli florets
150g Frozen Peas
Two large handfuls of Spinach
125g of Feta
Two tsp of Rapeseed Oil or a knob of organic Butter
Sea Salt and freshly cracked Black Pepper
Grated zest of half a Lemon
Method:
Preheat a grill to medium.
Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the broccoli, asparagus and peas and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
Season well with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Stir in the spinach, season again and grate over the zest of half a lemon. cook for another minute until the spinach wilts.
Pour in the eggs and give the mixture a stir to evenly distribute the vegetables.
Cook on a medium heat until the edges are firm (the centre will still be liquid), approximately 10-15 minutes.
Crumble the feta over the top and transfer the pan to under the grill.
Grill for 10 minutes until the egg mixture is firm and the feta turns light golden around the edges.
Remove from the pan and either eat immediately or slice it up, allow it to cool and
refrigerate.
The frittata keeps well in a fridge for up to 3 days.
Spring Dip
Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen green peas (see note)
1 Tbs. lemon zest (use an unwaxed lemon)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (approx. ½ small lemon)
1 clove garlic
1 Tbs. fresh mint leaves chopped (more or less depending on taste plus some for garnish)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil plus some for drizzling
1 Tbsp. tahini (this can be optional - see note)
Coarse salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
If using frozen peas, defrost first.
If using fresh peas, bring the peas to boil in a small pot of water and cook until tender. Don't cook for so long they lose their bright green colour. Strain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Reserve a cup of the cooking water.
Place the peas, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, mint, garlic and tahini in a food processor or blender and process until you have a smooth consistency. Fresh peas will take longer than frozen so pulse frozen peas gradually so you don't over-process.
If using fresh peas, you may require more liquid to achieve the desired consistency. Additional olive oil and some of the cooking water can be added slowly until you have the right consistency and smoothness of a dip purée.
Adjust lemon, tahini, mint and salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with mint leaves, some additional lemon zest and cracked pepper. Serve with vegetable crudités, toasted baguettes, crackers or as a sandwich spread.
Peas
Fresh peas are meatier and drier than frozen peas, so they may require more liquid to achieve the required consistency and smoothness. Reserve some of the peas cooking water for this, and feel free to use a little additional olive oil.
Frozen peas may be smaller in size and will naturally have a higher water content than fresh peas, which means they will blend down quicker and require less liquid. Due to this, you may want to increase the amount of peas you use by half a cup or more to achieve the required amount.
Tahini
You can vary the amount of tahini you use in this recipe but be careful of adding too much as it can overpower the naturally sweet flavour of the peas.
Recipe Variation
You can always leave out tahini altogether if you don't have it or don't like it. The pea dip will have all the same characteristics but with a less nutty, fresher taste. Also if you like the taste of goats cheese this can be a nice addition. I used about 2 Tbls of goats feta in mine - everybody else complained cos they hate goats cheese but I bloody love it!!!
Strawberry Overnight Sensations
Ingredients
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup chopped strawberries + more for serving
1/4 cup plain Greek or Coconut yoghurt
1-2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a container and stir until well combined. Seal with a lid and place in the fridge overnight (or at least a couple hours).
Bring out of the fridge in the morning and stir. You’ll notice that the oats soak up a lot of the liquid so you may want to add a little more almond milk before serving. Top oats with additional chopped strawberries and serve.
Overnight oats will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge in a sealed container.