Salinas (California) Go-To Summer Picnic by Ruth Paget
I like the store-bought picnics I can put together with little trouble in Salinas, California.
The following meal makes like my little town very much:
-cooked seasoned back ribs – less than $18 as of 6-16-2025 at Costco (locations in Salinas and Sand City by Seaside)
-Diet Pepsi – we get 24-packs at Costco
-cleaned, cubed, and fresh watermelon and strawberries from Whole Foods – Whole Foods is located in the Del Monte Center Shopping Mall in Monterey. You can get there via Highway 68 or take Blanco Road to Reservation Road (right) to Imjin Parkway (immediate left) to Highway 1 (Soledad and Munras exit)
-blueberry streusel banana muffins – from Costco
If you need a place to park and eat, Toro Park is located off Highway 68 as is Jack’s Peak Park across from the airport.
With a little organization, it is easy to picnic in Steinbeck Country in Salinas, California.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
