13 Vintage Picnic Recipes Made For A Gingham Blanket And Sunny Afternoon

Although picnics may be mostly associated with summer, it's nice to look for pleasant afternoons that beckon us to abandon the dining room and take our meals outside for a good, old-fashioned picnic — no matter the season. And there's no need to feel constrained by the standard sandwiches in plastic baggies, either. There are entire cookbooks devoted to recipes that stir up nostalgia, bringing to mind memories of a family spread on the beach, or a church potluck supper. These are vintage recipes that draw on family traditions that go back generations, some from old cookbooks, others clipped from magazines and newspapers that your ancestor lovingly placed into their own keepsake box.

There is a certain comfort that comes to us when preparing vintage recipes. For some, it's about the memories they evoke. For others, it's about returning to the roots of cooking, which is combining simple ingredients to produce a filling and nourishing result. Bringing your family and friends together around a picnic table or blanket in the grass is fulfilling to the soul, as well as the belly — especially when you're feeding everyone a tried and true meal that's been passed down through the ages.

Late summer is all about fresh tomatoes that come straight from the garden. This Cheddar Heirloom Tomato Pie is the perfect addition to a picnic, with an herby cheddar crust that balances the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes. It honestly tastes like you're eating sunshine itself. Using heirloom tomatoes is a great way to vary the flavor and colors that are on display with the recipe, and you can garnish the pie with fresh picked basil, which adds another burst of summery flavor.

Recipe: Cheddar Heirloom Tomato Pie

A staple seen at bridal showers and high tea services, cucumber sandwiches are a simple, clean snack. With only a few basic ingredients, you can put together a satisfying sandwich, but why not kick it up a notch? This spicy variation calls for chopped chili peppers and cilantro to be folded into the cream cheese. Whether or not you choose to go this route, the most important step is to salt and drain your cucumbers to ensure they remain crispy, and don't cause your bread to go soggy in your picnic basket. Voilà, fresh summer flavors.

Recipe: Spicy Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Speaking of tea sandwiches, if you want something a little heartier to offer your picnic guests, try these Smoked Salmon Springtime Tea Sandwiches. Smoked salmon is a step up from your basic tuna salad, and is certain to impress with its beautiful colors and clean-palate finish. The radishes add a snappy bite that's immediately tempered and cooled by the thinly-sliced cucumbers. These sandwiches prove that smoked salmon is for more than just your morning bagels.

Recipe: Springtime Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

Deviled Ham is one of those recipes that is pure vintage, and immediately familiar in flavor. It's like a ham sandwich in a spreadable form that you can serve either between bread, or with crackers and crostini. Its versatility makes it the perfect picnic food, giving you the option of packing sandwiches ready to go in your picnic basket, or as a dip that your guests can gather around while they're taking a break from yard games.

Recipe: Deviled Ham Salad

Packed with protein and nostalgia, Three Bean Salad is at home on a picnic table, or on a blanket. Another great thing about this dish is that you have a lot of options available for which beans you can use. This particular recipe encourages the use of fresh green beans, which you might already be growing in your garden. And it's an easy, vegetarian dish that goes with pretty much anything.

Recipe: Three Bean Salad

Now, truthfully, is it even a picnic without a tray of deviled eggs? They're so grabbable, easy to eat, and can be very flavorful. These white and yellow gems can trace their roots back to Ancient Rome, when people would enjoy stuffed eggs. In modern times, there are lots of variations for the yolk-based filling, depending on how adventurous you want to be — but the old standard recipe with mayonnaise, mustard, and spices always creates a popular treat.

Recipe: Southern-Style Deviled Eggs Recipe

Classic Pimento Cheese is one of those vintage recipes that deserves its moments in the sun. Creamy and full of flavor, it's another option that works well as a sandwich filling, or as a dip that can be spread on crackers, crostini, and veggies. This recipe includes smoky bacon and fresh chives, both of which add depth to the flavor. Make finger sandwiches with this spread, or serve it in a bowl — so guests can dip, smear, and devour to their hearts' content.

Recipe: Classic Pimento Cheese Recipe

You might reminisce about summers at your grandmother's house when she would carefully balance individual pink shrimp on a custom-made ring of ice, with a bowl of cocktail sauce in the middle. Of course, halfway through the day, the ice ring was completely melted, and the shrimp just sat in a pool of water. This Shrimp Macaroni Salad is the perfect way for shrimp to still be a welcomed guest at the picnic without the undignified, soggy exit. Adding shrimp to your macaroni salad also elevates it from a simple side dish to a starring role.

Recipe: Shrimp Macaroni Salad

You can't have a picnic without potato salad. This Classic Southern Potato Salad is the perfect iteration of the many varieties that you could bring to a party. Hard-boiled eggs give a nutritional boost of protein, while it adds that sunny yellow color to the fork-tender potatoes. Be sure to garnish the potato salad with fresh chives from the garden for a bright color pop, as well as an extra-zesty flavor.

Recipe: Classic Southern Potato Salad

Best Broccoli Salad is like coleslaw, but can be even better. Crunchy and green, and tossed in tangy Greek yogurt, it compliments burgers, sandwiches, and fried chicken. Adding dried cranberries and nutty sunflower seeds creates a variety of textures and flavors in this side dish in which everything melds together so beautifully. Chopped bacon takes it up a notch, adding a bit of saltiness. This salad is also very filling, and nutrient-rich.

Recipe: Best Broccoli Salad

A massive pitcher of Southern Sweet Tea is exactly what a hot summer day needs, and, it goes perfectly with a picnic spread. Sweet tea is so quintessentially Southern, yet its refreshing flavor transcends regionality, making a true classic. This recipe also includes the surprising ingredient of baking soda, which cuts through the bitterness of the tea during the steeping process, allowing the botanical sweetness to truly shine. Garnish with fresh-picked summer berries, fresh mint, and wedges of lemon.

Recipe: Southern Sweet Tea

Bringing, and then serving, an entire pie at a picnic can be a messy prospect. Instead, go for these Cherry Hand Pies, which embodies all the sweet-tart fruity goodness within a crispy, flaky shell. Easy to eat without the addition of flatware, these perfectly portioned pies contain all the familiar vintage flavors of Mom's cherry pie. You can even prep a bunch of these beauties ahead of time, and freeze them in their raw state before baking them the night before your picnic. The perfect dessert — on hand, so to speak.

Recipe: Cherry Hand Pies

Butterscotch can evoke memories of vintage dessert flavors, and cornflakes are the O.G. of cereal. Combine them, and you basically have Marshmallow Treat's grandfather. Seriously though, the snappy crunch of the cornflakes combined with the caramel-style richness of the butterscotch make a gorgeous cookie that's the ultimate way to top off your vintage picnic. The fact that these are no-bake is an extra bonus, especially in the late summer heat — or anytime you don't feel like turning on your oven.

Recipe: No-Bake Cornflake Butterscotch Cookies