Just because the weather has turned cooler doesn’t mean you have to immediately move your outdoor plans inside. Enjoy the crisp days of fall by hosting an outdoor fall picnic.
Here are 5 tips for hosting an outdoor fall picnic:
Location, Location, Location
You can head out of town to an autumn destination such as an apple orchard (TimeOut New York gives you some great options), or stay in the city and take in the beauty of fall at locations such as the East River in Astoria Park, Fort Tryon Park (the highest point in Manhattan) or Brooklyn’s Prospect Park (it also boasts some of the first trees to change color). If you don’t feel like moving too far from your home, just set up camp on your patio, porch or fire escape.
Reuse What You Have
No need to go out and purchase new picnic supplies, simply look around your home to find items that can serve as creative containers such as baking tins (make great plates or condiment holders), totes (easier to pack and carry than a picnic basket), cutting boards (great tray for keeping drinks steady on a rough surface) and mason jars (perfect for toting salads). Consider using real silverware and cloth napkins—tying them up with twine and putting them in a small tin pail.
Bring Multiple Blankets
“While you might have gotten away with a big beach towel or a light throw for sunny, high-summer picnicking, the first signs of dewy fall weather call for a heavier-duty foundation,” suggests StyleCaster.com. Choose blankets with reinforced waterproof bottoms and toss in a few extras (of the softer variety) for bundling up while you eat.
Add Some Decorations
We don’t often think about decorations for our outdoor picnics, but nature gives us such great options in the fall! Toss in a few gourds or pumpkins to make a centerpiece, bring along hay bales for seating, or simply gather up a handful of the beautiful leaves already on the ground and toss them over your blanket for an instant pop of fall color.
Serve with Style
Don’t skimp on style when serving your fall picnic fare. Set out cheese and fruit on a cutting board, put drinks in a small galvanized tub, and bring a hot beverage (or soup!) in an old-fashioned thermos. We love this idea from Midwest Magazine: Instead of wasting money on small snack bags, buy snacks in bulk and transfer the items into rolled-down brown lunch bags. “Set the lunch bags on a tray for tied-together look.” A great twist to your end-of-picnic dessert? Create a caramel apple bar by having guests cut up an apple, drizzle it with caramel sauce and add their own toppings (house toppings in a muffin tin!).
Talk to us: Favorite NYC location for hosting your own fall picnic?
image courtesy of flickr CC/Liz