I love , love, love picnics. If and when I write a cookbook, it will be my picnic favourites.
We are a busy family, with rarely much extra money. Holidays are not in our timeframe or budget. But we do want to spend as much fun time as we can with our kids and whoever tag alongs end up in our car. Instead of holidays, we do a lot of picnic road trips, probably one a week during the summer. We find that this is a great way for us all to see new things and spend some quality time together soaking up some biophilia.
This is how it works: we pack a picnic, we get in the car, we choose which direction to drive, and usually just go until we find something cool – a beach, a playground, a new trail … We pretty much let whim and whimsy (and the weather) guide us. We usually go after work, but sometimes take a full day off to go road tripping.
I’ve gotta tell you, we’ve found some pretty cool places on the Island! Our newest fave place is Piper’s Lagoon in Nanaimo. We had a picnic dinner there with five kids last weekend. There are a bunch of pocket beaches, lots of cool rocks to climb around on, and a million gorgeous pictures waiting to be taken.
Here is a short list of some of our other go-to places:
- There is a cool sandstone beach in Nanoose off Madrona Road
- Moorecroft Regional Park
- Paradise Meadows up on Mt Washington — check the weather and trail reports online before you go. This place is amazing and has a huge system of trails, short and long. On a hot day, bring a bathing suit and cool off in the alpine lakes.
- Colliery Dam in Nanaimo by Vancouver Island University
- Seal Bay Park in Comox
- Miracle Beach Provincial Park
- The Nanaimo Seawall
- Englishman River Park
- Transfer Beach in Ladysmith
- Elk Falls in Campbell River
Another cool quickie vacation is to go on one or five of the Circle Farm Tours over on the mainland. Google it and you will get maps and farm descriptions. Fort Langley National Park is completely worth the price of admission (which is cheap!).
I would love to hear YOUR suggestions for amazing picnic spots. I’m always looking for a new adventure!
Happy road tripping this summer and check out my recipe below for great picnic fare.
Gluten Free Blueberry Coffee Cake
This is a new favourite in our house. It makes a big pan and freezes well. I bake the cake, portion it; then wrap the pieces in plastic wrap so I can just grab and go for impromptu picnicking.
¾ cup white rice flour
½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup potato starch
¼ cup sorghum flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ butter or margarine
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups frozen blueberries
TOPPING:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
Preheat the oven to 325. Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan.
In a bowl, mix together the first set of dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, cut in the ½ cup butter till it looks like bread crumbs.
Whisk together the wet ingredients. Add to dry ingredients and mix to blend. Fold in the blueberries and spread batter in the pan.
Blend topping ingredients together. Crumble on top of the batter.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. Allow to cool before cutting.
Angeline Street
Glass Slipper Cleaning
Whole Hog Farms GF Sausages
Tel: 250-954-0246
Email: angstreet@telus.net
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