Rain or shine, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer and time to plan a few picnics. Last year, it rained and I kicked off the season with an indoor picnic, complete with stove-top soy dogs and a cherry red condiment caddy that I picked up on sale from crateandbarrel.com. This year, I’m hoping for a little more sunshine on the East Coast.
Once again, though, crateandbarrel.com has some of the best picnic paraphernalia. My favorite picnic prop this season is the rolling picnic trolley, a crateandbarrel.com exclusive which is only available online or through the catalog. The aluminum cart with a white powder finish is actually a trolley that unfolds into a table. Or looking at it the other way around, it’s a table that folds up into a cart. Either way, the portable device, $79.95, works as a table and a carrying cart.
The cart comes in handy when schlepping chairs, coolers and other cook-out sundries to picnic areas. The table, which adjusts to three heights, makes a convenient spot to place picnic ware, and serve food and drinks.
Other new, cool picnic products at crateandbarrel.com this season include a flatware-to-go set and the “picnic pack,” a white plastic dinnerware set for four. The prime selling point for both just may be how they are packaged. The stainless steel flatware set comes in an adorable mesh zipper pouch, which I’m sure you can think of endless uses for — cosmetic bag, travel pouch, office supplies, etc. The plates, bowls and cups in the “picnic pack” are stored in individual zipper pouches, which neatly fit into a mesh tote. Each kit costs $39.95, and is sold online or in brick-and-mortar stores.
Handy totesAnother stand out this season is a fold-up cloth-and-metal tote that looks like an old-fashioned handheld shopping cart. (The handheld plastic totes, common in most modern supermarkets, used to be made of cloth.) The convertible carrier, made by a German company Reisenthel Accessoires, not only looks sharp but also folds up for convenient storage. Made of a cotton/poly blend and aluminum, the tote is lightweight yet durable — two removable rods reinforce the basket’s side. A rubber-coated handle also makes the basket easy to grip. It’s the steal of the summer at uncommongoods.com for $30. (The tote sells for $45 in a trendy neighborhood shop down the street from where I live.)
The only problem with the classy carrier is it may be just too nice to take outdoors. I bought one in red. It’s also available in khaki. Right now, my red picnic basket serves as receptacle for magazines in my already cluttered living room. Not sure I want to expose it to the elements. One solution might be: Buy two; and use one outdoors and the other at home.
Old-fashioned picnic baskets
Real old-fashioned picnic baskets from Amish Heartland Baskets are pricier than most store-bought baskets, but the handmade carriers are designed to last a lifetime, if not more. Each “basket is made by hand, without the use of any power tools, using material grown in Ohio, cut and produced by hand just like it was done over a hundred years ago” reads the description online.
Each basket also has “a few little nuances that make each one original,” says Leslie Willoughby, who is not Amish but who has made arrangements with more than about 150 Amish families in Holmes County Ohio to sell their wares online.
The basket makers also take great pride in their work. “Each one of our weavers signs the bottom of the baskets that they make,” says Willoughby.
Willoughby and her mother did request that the Amish families make a few small changes to the traditional baskets to sell them online. “We don't allow any staples — common in many Amish baskets — in our baskets. They rust, and they don't look good, so we use only brass nails,” says Willoughby. “We (also) made sure that all of our weavers use the same stain and that is okay to be around food,” she adds.
Baskets come in many shapes and sizes, from those small enough to hail around bread to ones in which you can cradle a baby. Classic picnic baskets come in small for $95 and large for $123.75. There’s also a utensil basket for $73.25, which has three small compartments for flatware and one large space designed to hold plates.
Musical meals
Some folks have to have tunes with their outdoor meal. If that’s the case, check out Sterling Sports’ “Chillin' Sounds." The cooler, made in China, comes with a built-in AM/FM radio. The 21-by-10.5-inch cooler holds up to 12 soda-sized cans. A foam-grip handle or shoulder strap makes it easy to carry.
Marblehead, Mass.-based cyber gift shop myfreakyfamily.com is one of the few online shops that stock the cooler in yellow, blue and orange. The cooler-radio combo sells for $69.95. Four AA batteries, not included, are required to operate the radio. A headphone jack is included for picnic goers who might consider that not all the people are interested in their music all the time.
Personally I prefer radio-free zones in parks or picnics in quiet areas. Whatever natural sounds I can hear, I want to hear. But I would consider some plastic ants for an indoor picnic in case it rains again this year. A pack of about 288 plastic ants only costs $7 at cyber-only party shop plumparty.com.