Picnics And Barbecues: Outdoor Dining Goes Green With Bamboo

After a weekend of barbeques and picnics, it is time to take a closer look at what we are using to cook our food (and make it look good too)! Now, this is the time of year that you can pretty much grill anything fresh – fruits, vegetables, meats, or you can even try a bamboo recipe! You can use them in any combination. However, make sure that you oil and season what is being grilled. You do not want it sticking to your grilling surface. Another tip is to use bamboo skewers for your kabobs. It is a green way to grill, and your guests will all ask where you got your skewers. However, before you use a bamboo skewer (or any wood skewer for that matter), you need to soak them. For me, the easiest way I found to soak skewers is to use a Ziploc bag (the size of your skewer will determine the size of the bag you need). You just fill the bag with water, drop your skewers in, and about an hour later (or so), they are ready to use. If you choose not to soak your skewers before using, you will find that they burn which is why soaking is highly recommended.

There are just so many kabob combinations that you can make. I’ve seen kabobs made with pork and fruit combinations, meat and vegetable combinations, and even dessert combinations (obviously, the dessert ones don’t get grilled). My favorite has to be the desert combinations though (and these skewers you don’t have to soak). I’ve seen desert kabobs done with strawberries, blackberries, marshmallows, cake (cut into shapes like stars for the 4^th of July), Rice Krispie treats, mini cupcakes, sugar wafers, etc. These always seem to be a hit at parties!

Instead of using plastic silverware, switch to bamboo utensils. They are safe to use on nonstick surfaces, are heat resistant, and also are stain resistant. Best of all, they don’t absorb the flavors of your food, so they can be used over and over again. I personally like to camp with them, because they are incredibly hard to break too!

Another way to go green is stop using paper plates and use bamboo plates instead. They come in almost every size you could want. I have seen sets that biodegrade in a compost pile in a couple weeks to dinnerware sets that are supposed to last a lifetime. As I talked about in our post last week, you can use bamboo napkins for clean up too!

When you have your next barbeque or picnic, keep bamboo in mind. It has many uses for outdoor eating and bamboo clothing can keep you cool while enjoying the outdoors in this extreme heat we are having all over the country!