Plastic-Free Tips for your Picnic!

Crack! The ripe watermelon split wide open. Annie smiled when she saw the firm red color. She split open the next one and said, “Yes!” to its juicy yellow flesh. “I’m going to make the most delish watermelon salad with these two beauties for an epic family picnic,” she thought. The annual gathering was canceled last year for the first time in thirty years due to the pandemic. Since the previous picnic the year before, babies had been born, and elders had passed away, so this year’s gathering would be a bittersweet celebration, but a celebration, nonetheless. LJ came into the kitchen with an armload of herbs, vegetables, and fruit from their garden. It was early morning, and they were busy preparing their contributions for the feast. He washed the basil leaves and handed them to her.

“This should be enough for the Strawberry-Watermelon Salad with Basil-Cayenne Syrup.”

“Thanks, LJ. Do you know this will be our first picnic with no grilling, no plastic, and no meat? Our last family reunion celebration two years ago was a good start. Everyone got into the spirit of a plastic-free picnic by bringing their compostable eating utensils and plates. They even had reusable silicone straws.”

LJ nodded as he began popping dried corn kernels for popcorn. “The kids love this natural snack, and the birds too, so I’m making plenty. Yes, I was…