With picnic season in full swing, impress family and friends with local flavors and recipes from the Montauk Library’s collection of community cookbooks.
Spice up your picnic invitation with this unique and unusual jest—“Now hie we to the picnic ground. With pies of peach and custard; Where divers snakes meander round, And frolic in the mustard,” beckoned the East Hampton Star on June 16, 1888.
For an easy, packable picnic snack, start with Spicy Pecans from the late Coral Alice Winter in Montauk Cooks with Friends. The recipe boasts only four ingredients—pecans, salt, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce. You can also use year-old pecans soaked in brine to “bring them back to their original plumpness.”
Thinking of something more seasonal? Caroline Kofod’s Spicy Rhubarb Chutney calls for rhubarb, which is in season now through July. Strawberry season starts as well. Try this Quick Strawberry Pie recipe from the Tried and Terrific cookbook published in 1973.
Planning ahead? Peg Bianchi claims that the batter for her 6-Week-Old Muffins can be kept in the refrigerator for, you guessed it, 6 weeks, “allowing you to make just as many muffins as you want!” Find the recipe in Recipes Past and Present, published by the Montauk Parent Teacher Association in 1998.
Guests at your next cookout might be curious to try Bluefish on the Grill. “Pass fish with extra sauce (make more for sauce fiends). Two or three pine cones tossed on fire for the last 10 minutes adds extra flavor.”
Pair with Jean Marrow’s Gazpacho from Montauk Cooks with Friends, a community cookbook published by the Friends of the Montauk Library in 1989.
Blessed with an abundance of zucchini? The Friends of the Montauk Library Cookbook has a variety of recipes including zucchini soup, zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini parmesan crisps, fried zucchini flowers, zucchini rotini, and zucchini “spaghetti.”
Weasel Maloney sprinkles a dash of humor in A Non-Recipe for a Very Fine Montauk Dinner. “Step 1: Catch some mussels. This is eminently doable in Montauk, but no one will tell you where.”
Fast-forward to dessert. “If you’re really fond of your guest, go picking blueberries or blackberries. Again, no one is going to tell you where to gather them, but there are lots of places in Montauk. Beware of ticks, prickers, and hungry small children. Serve with heavy cream and pride.”
Feeling inspired or just hungry? The Friends of the Montauk Library invite you to celebrate Flag Day with edible red, white, and blue concoctions.
The event will take place on Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 11 am to 2 pm. Visit the library to register or call 631-668-3377. Bring your entry along with a list of ingredients by 10 am to be eligible to win $100. Entries will be judged by taste, appearance, and adherence to the criteria.
A $5 donation (children under 6 are free) gets you coffee and samples of these imaginative creations.
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