If you're looking for "I Spys," dating or LTRs, this is your scene.
View ProfilesPublished May 17, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. | Updated May 19, 2017 at 5:56 p.m.
You're driving a wooded byway abutting a state forest, keeping one eye on the road while the other looks out for wildflowers, waterfalls trickling down craggy rocks or cardinals darting from tree to tree. The scenic route takes you farther and farther from civilization, and then you feel them ... the first pangs of "hanger."
Scenario 1: You didn't plan ahead for this. The spotty cell service may or may not put you on the trail of a food source, and the winding, scenic routes will make it a trek. You might just resort to the stale energy bar in your bag.
Scenario 2: You've brought a picnic! You pull over a half mile past the point of your hanger's onset and find a shady nook by a burbling stream. You spread out a blanket, pop open your cooler and bite into a hunk of fresh bread slathered with butter and topped with slices of colorful spring radishes. The air is sweet and clean. Soon you're satiated, happy and back on the road.
Whether your summer wanderlust takes you up mountains, to small towns in pursuit of your Vermont 251 Club goals, or to outdoor sculpture gardens and other arty wonders, packing a meal is always a good idea. If you discover a sweet eatery on the way, you can bring your prepacked food back home with you. If not, you're set with something delicious.
But not all outings (or hunger pangs) are created equal, so your picnic should be tailored to the occasion. On a hike, for instance, food that is light to carry but heavy in calories is the name of the game. On an art gallery visit, you might get a little more elaborate. Here are three ideas for themed picnics, designed with Vermont's attractions in mind, each with suggestions for the perfect location.
To be eaten: on a peak such as Mount Hunger (trailheads in Worcester and Waterbury), Snake Mountain (trailhead in Addison) or Mount Tom (trailhead in Woodstock)
Thoughtful packing is rarely more important than when you are on a hike. Make your backpack too weighty, and you'll be moaning and groaning long before you reach the top. Fail to bring enough calories, and you'll be listless on the way down.
This picnic doesn't include the freeze-dried and dehydrated products you'd need to thru-hike the Long Trail. It's meant for shorter jaunts that don't entail carrying tons of gear.
Pro tips: Take condiments out of their glass jars and tote them in food-safe travel bottles (the ones you use to get your favorite shampoo through airport security); freeze cubes of your favorite beverage and use them to keep food cold (you can drink them after they've melted); split picnics into portions so everybody can carry their own.
To be eaten: at Shelburne Museum, a pull-off on Route 100 South after a visit to BigTown Gallery in Rochester, or at Fred Mold Park in St. Johnsbury after a visit to the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium and the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum
While some people like to "paint 'n' sip," others prefer to look and sip. Happily, Vermont's artisan food producers make fare that pairs well with art of all kinds, from contemporary installations to Albert Bierstadt's monumental "The Domes of the Yosemite." (Catch that 1867 painting this summer at the Athenaeum before it gets shipped off for restoration in the fall.)
To exercise your own creative muscles, you could make the food and libations match the occasion. If you're going to Shelburne Museum to see "Wild Spaces, Open Seasons: Hunting and Fishing in American Art" (June 3 to August 27), pack your basket with smoked salmon and venison jerky. If you have tickets to a performance of Vermont Shakespeare Festival's Richard III, bring on the shellfish, game birds and wine.
Pro tips: Keep a "picnic kit," including plates, flatware, cups and a wine opener, in your car so you'll be prepared to snack on the go. For bonus awesomeness points, make an occasion-appropriate playlist on your smartphone.
To be eaten: on the Vermont Statehouse lawn in Montpelier, wherever an objectionable pipeline is being built or while occupying a bench on Burlington's City Hall Park
When you're rallying to protect the environment or the rights of migrant workers on dairy farms, you don't want to be packing any old genetically engineered items. Here are some foods that will keep you marching, chanting and waving signs for the long haul.
Pro tips: Just as you'd set a place for Elijah at a seder dinner, leave a spot on your picnic blanket in case Sen. Bernie Sanders shows up. Or maybe just bring extra food for fellow marchers, 'cause sharing is caring.
The original print version of this article was headlined "Three for the Road"
Tags: Food + Drink Features, Summer Preview, picnics, themed picnics, Snake Mountain, Hunger Mountain, Mount Tom, Shelburne Museum, BigTown Gallery, Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, Beau Butchery + Bar, La Garagista, Eden Specialty Ciders, Vermont Statehouse lawn, Burlington City Hall Park, Beau, La Garagista Farm + Winery
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