Blog
Back in May I wrote a blog about how I enjoy going on adventures with my children in the summer and packing a picnic made up of snack foods. Today I would like to follow up with a few tips on how we keep those picnics safe to eat.
- Handwashing: If we are somewhere with running water and soap, that is the easiest way to get those hands washed. But often we do not have access to running water. At the beginning of the summer, I make sure my van is packed with wet wipes and hand sanitizer. We use the wipes first to get any dirt or sand off our hands and then we use the hand sanitizer.
- Keeping Cold Foods Cold: Making sure our fruits, vegetables, and cheese stay cold is a top priority. I have an odd variety of ice packs that we keep frozen year-round to pack into coolers or lunch bags to keep cold foods cold. Sometimes the ice packs are not enough, so we also fill and freeze a few plastic water bottles as a back-up plan. The nice thing about frozen water bottles is that their shape can fit in some coolers better than an ice pack.
- Clean Surfaces: It is not easy to find a clean surface to lay out our picnic foods. I am not a tablecloth person, so I pack a couple of clean towels. I lay the clean towels out in the back of our van or on a picnic table for a quick clean surface. At the end of the meal, I fold the towels back up and they go straight into the laundry hamper when we get home.
If you are planning a picnic or meal on the go sometime this summer, try out one of these tips and let us know if it was helpful for keeping your food safe to eat.
