Why Country Ham Belongs at Every Picnic

Most picnic ideas revolve around what's easy to pack. Country ham checks every box. It's fully cooked, travels without refrigeration for short periods, and holds its flavor without needing to be warmed. Thin-sliced country ham is one of the most versatile pieces of cool picnic food you can bring, layer it into biscuits, fold it onto a board, or eat it straight.

Padow's country ham is salt-cured the traditional Virginia way, with no smoking involved. That process gives the meat a deep, firm, savory flavor that stands on its own or pairs with nearly everything else on this list. Ham slices are the anchor of any Padow's picnic spread, and once you've built a board around them, everything else falls into place.

Build the Perfect Padow's Picnic Board

The picnic board is the move. It's the kind of easy picnic food that looks like you put in serious effort but comes together in minutes, mostly just unwrapping and arranging. Here's how to build one around Padow's:

Start with the ham. Lay out thin country ham slices as the base of your board. Fold or fan them so guests can pull pieces easily.

Add the pickles. Padow's pickles bring crunch and brightness that cuts right through the richness of the ham. Whole pickles, spears, or chips all work; mix them in around the ham for color and contrast.

Spoon out the jams and spreads. A few small ramekins of Padow's jams, jellies, and spreads scattered across the board give guests something to spread, dip, and mix. Fig, apple butter, and pepper jelly all work beautifully alongside country ham.

Pile on the Virginia peanuts. Padow's Virginia peanuts are a summer picnic snack on their own, but on a board they add texture and something to snack on between bites of everything else. Fill in the gaps generously.

Finish with the biscuits or cornbread. Use Padow's biscuit mix or cornbread mix to bake a batch before you head out. Slice the biscuits and stack them on the board; they're the vehicle for everything else.

Round it out with sharp cheddar, stoneground mustard, and whatever seasonal fruit is at its peak. Stone fruit works especially well in summer.

The Best Padow's Products for a Summer Picnic

If you're stocking a picnic basket from the Padow's online shop, here's what to reach for:

• Country Ham Slices — The centerpiece. Pre-sliced, fully cooked, and packed with flavor. The definition of easy picnic food that doesn't compromise on quality.
• Virginia Peanuts — Grown and packed in Virginia, these are a different product than the average ballpark peanut. Bigger, meatier, and far more flavorful. One of the best summer picnic snacks you can bring.
• Amish Pickles — Crisp, clean, and made the old-fashioned way. These travel perfectly and pair with everything on the board.
• Jams, Jellies & Spreads — Padow's carries a range of jams and spreads that double as condiments and standalone snacks. Apple butter, pepper jelly, and fruit preserves all bring something different to the spread.
• Biscuit Mix & Cornbread Mix — Bake a batch the morning of and pack them wrapped in a clean cloth. Fresh biscuits loaded with country ham are among the best foods to have at a picnic, full stop.
• Stoneground Mustard — Sharp, tangy, and made to go with ham. A jar of Padow's stoneground mustard belongs on every picnic board.

Picnic Sandwiches Built Around Country Ham

If a full board feels like too much to manage, country ham biscuit sandwiches are the answer. They're portable, filling, and require almost no assembly on-site. Make them at home, wrap them individually, and pull them out when you're ready.

The formula is simple: a warm biscuit from Padow's buttermilk biscuit mix, two or three thin slices of country ham, a spread of stoneground mustard or apple butter, and a pickle on the side. That's it. It's one of those picnic ideas that sounds understated until you're eating it in the sun and realize nothing else was necessary.

For a slightly bigger build, add a slice of sharp cheddar and a smear of pepper jelly. The sweet heat plays off the salt of the ham in a way that's hard to beat as summer picnic food.

Sweet Additions: Jams, Jellies & Spreads

The sweet side of the spread matters more than people give it credit for. A good jam or jelly does two things on a picnic board: it balances the salt of the ham and it gives the spread somewhere to go between savory bites.

Padow's carries a full range of jams, jellies, and fruit spreads that work as well on a biscuit as they do straight off a spoon. Apple butter is rich and works beautifully year-round. Pepper jelly brings mild heat that pairs surprisingly well with Virginia peanuts. Fruit preserves alongside a wedge of cheddar and a slice of ham is one of the simplest and most satisfying cool picnic food combinations going.

Pack a few small jars and let people mix and match. It's a low-effort addition that makes the whole spread feel more intentional.

Tips for Packing and Serving a Summer Picnic Spread

The best summer picnic snacks are the ones that survive the journey. A few things worth keeping in mind:

• Country ham travels well. Wrapped tightly, sliced ham holds up without refrigeration for a few hours on a mild day. On a hot day, keep it in a cooler until you're ready to serve.
• Pack the pickles in a sealed container. Amish pickles travel best in their jar or a lidded container. Keep them separate until you're ready to build the board.
• Pre-build what you can. Slice the biscuits at home and pack the ham inside them. Assembly at the picnic site is easier when the hardest work is already done.
• Bring a wooden board or flat tray. It turns a collection of packaged goods into an intentional spread in about two minutes.
• Virginia peanuts go in last. They're the easiest thing to add on-site and fill space naturally.

Shop Padow's for Your Summer Picnic

Everything on this list ships nationwide from Padow's online shop. Whether you're planning a backyard gathering, a park afternoon, or a long weekend away, you can build the whole spread from one order and have it at your door before the weekend.

Country ham, Virginia peanuts, Amish pickles, jams and spreads, biscuit mix, it's all there. Browse the full shop at padows.com and bring a little Virginia tradition to wherever summer takes you.