Picnics: the round-up

Picnics - it seemed like such a good idea earlier in the summer. It's been raining non-stop all over Britain, no real scope for picnics ... most of ours either called off or held uncomfortably in the car. We had one on a beach in Cornwall, involving a fire, sand - and rain. I think it's been the same all over, as entries were unusually thin on the ground ... the harvest-home theme for September seems like a much better idea.









Laurie at Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska was feeling as guilty as me about not blogging enough. She got back into the groove with this Three-Bean and Macaroni Salad with Green Olive Dressing ... and she didn't even like pasta salad or green olives until she tried what she'd made for her husband.










Jugalbandi's minty coleslaw with a vegan "mayo" doesn't need a picnic to be enjoyed ... and, anyway, leafy veg like cabbage have been doing really well in all this rain. Tofu, sesame, lemongrass - this is not your run-of-the-mill coleslaw, as you'd expect from Jugalbandi.










Katie at Thyme for Cooking made ratatouille for the picnic - because that's what you do in France. Good hot or cold, full of veg - the fresher the better. Since I started roasting vegetables, I haven't made a ratatouille, which is something I need to put right, as it's delicious. Katie consulted six recipes for this, every one of them different ... I think I'll follow her version.










Next up, Annarasa makes spinach parathas ... lovely robust picnic food, and warming on a rainy day. Annarasa's mum used to make them for her to take to school in her lunchbox.










Elizabeth at Blog from Our Kitchen made veggie burgers for meat eaters - no big lumps of veg, no tofu, optional bacon. Chickpeas, the recipe is based on falafel. She and her husband prefer them to regular hamburgers ... definitely worth a try, as I love falafel.









Michelle The Accidental Scientist has recently moved to Hawaii, where she's had picnic weather. Her first Hawaiian picnic involved a kayak, a beach - and a three bean salad, with homemade granola bars to finish.










I made a yoghurt cake. I flavoured it with rosewater syrup. Now I'd probably flavour the syrup with citrus, as, although there are still roses in my garden, it feels like a taste you'd want in high summer, when you were pretending to yourself that there would be some sunshine, some meals outside.


Apologies all round for this being so late. Let me know if I've forgotten anyone. Preserving the harvest. Michelle at The Accidental Scientist is in charge. Sunday 28 September's the deadline. xxJoanna