Reviewed by: Cindy Hatcher
Picnic like a pro in Huntsville—tips for fast prep + easy clean-up
Reading time: 4 minutes
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It’s officially my favorite season in Huntsville…PICNIC SEASON! As someone who carries an emergency picnic blanket in my car at all times, I feel aptly prepared to share some top tips for planning your next Huntsville picnic, including a quick + mess-free way to prep and cook your picnic assortments.
The highlights:
1. Find your perfect picnic spot + plan around an event 🏞️
Huntsville has bountiful scenic spots perfect for a picnic. I personally frequent Big Spring Park for the scenic fountain and museum views and ample green space.
- Aldridge Creek Greenway
- Big Spring Park
- Ditto Landing
- Hays Nature Preserve
- Huntsville Botanical Garden
- North Alabama Japanese Garden
🌳 Pick an upcoming music series to bring your picnic to, like Lowe Mill’s Concerts on the Dock or Golden Hour at Huntsville Botanical Garden.
2. Source ingredients locally for a Huntsville-infused menu 🍴
Franklin Spice Works seasoning, Sauce Daddy hot sauce and Piper & Leaf tea made this spread delish. (Ben Johnson / Hville Blast)
Here are our recs for some classic Southern picnic essentials and where to find ingredients locally:
- 🍋 Southern Sweet Tea with Piper & Leaf Front Porch Special
- 🍴 Pasta Salad made with pasta from Southern Home & Kitchen noodles + seasoning from Franklin Spice Works
- 🥪 Paninis with bread + fresh veggies from local farmers markets or delivery services like Food & Farm Hub (we got our bread from Miche Miche)
- 🌶️ Buffalo Chicken Dip with Huntsville-based Sauce Daddy hot sauce (available at MidCity Market or online)
Fun fact: You can boil water for tea + pasta on a grill with stainless steel pots! Plus, a dutch oven makes perfect buffalo chicken dip thanks to even heat from natural gas. Check out more ways an outdoor natural gas line can make cooking anything easy 👇
3. Use an outdoor kitchen for mess-free + fast prep 🧑🍳
If you’re like me, you’re impatient in the kitchen and don’t love making a mess before running out of the house. That stress can be eliminated with an outdoor natural gas stove, which one local grillmaster says is the secret to smooth summertime hosting and cooking.
🧑🍳 Perks of using an outdoor natural gas stove:
- Always-on instant heat: No waiting for the cooktop to get hot!
- Chef control: Cook food evenly + efficiently with precise heat levels
- Reliability: Thanks to underground natural gas lines, these stoves don’t lose power in an outage
- Less mess: Prepping outdoors means less mess (+ smell) for your kitchen
- Efficiency + affordability: Spend less time + money than tradition outdoor cooking
♨️ Here are some pro safety tips for using your natural gas stovetop:
- Keep the grill area clear + check connections before lighting to ensure safe, steady flames
- Don’t store combustible materials near a furnace or water heater
- Make sure your gas stove’s flames are blue; if they’re orange or yellow, your stove isn’t working properly +
- should be serviced
- Use caution when handling hot pans
More perks of having a natural gas kitchen + tips from a local
Michael achieved the perfect panini on a grill. (Ben Johnson / Hville Blast)
“Cooking with natural gas is so easy—it gives you more time to eat and socialize since you aren’t spending as much time prepping. I highly recommend, especially if you are entertaining multiple guests.”
Michael Seale, Content Manager at Hville Blast + avid griller
Check out more things natural gas can power in your outdoor space:
- Outdoor cooking with stoves + grills
- Heating with fire pits + patio heaters
- Cozy lighting with gas-lit lanterns
- Heating pools or hot tubs
If you’re ready to host and cook like a pro, click here to find your nearest natural gas provider.
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