Summer is half way over and the weather is starting to get to what I call “summer prime.”

Prime outdoor time. Whether it is relaxing on a restaurant’s deck, patio, or the front porch at Timber Lodge in Medina, people are hoping to make the most of these beautiful summer days and nights.

One way to make the most of a weekend is to travel to some of our great area parks. As they say, “Take a hike, it’s good for your lungs and refreshing, too!” Who they are, I have no idea. Hey, it’s a saying on an old shirt I wear. I wear that shirt often as it reminds me to take many of those trips in northeast Ohio and see what there is to see. We truly have a wealth of great parks and places where we can feel like we really are living the dream.

My family likes to pack up a picnic when we do these local road trips so we can make a day of it. Last weekend, we chose to attend the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom, one of the area’s best picnic spots. My wife packed the picnic basket with the plates, silverware, plastic glasses and picnic blanket. I took the easy route and picked up the chicken and the cheeses. She threw in some grapes and a few tomatoes we purchased from the farmer’s market and it was a feast.

I was working our Post Newspapers booth at the first annual Uncorked Medina Wine Festival at Buffalo Creek Retreat just before the concert and happened to be directly across from the Heine’s Cheese booth. Heine’s is not only one of Amish Country’s best cheese destinations, but is also available at grocery stores all over. They allowed me to sample cheeses while I worked the booth on Saturday and guided me to a few perfect picnic combos.

One was a spreadable creamy feta that they paired with a jalapeño jam to spread on it, as well as the perfect cracker. That combo had picnic written all over it. Then, as a second choice, they suggested a cheese cut into cubes that paired perfectly with a mustard they sell. Both were out-of-this-world good. For the chicken, I happened to be driving through Wadsworth right from the Uncorked Medina Wine Festival and called ahead to the White House Chicken near the Wadsworth Buehler’s. People who have been reading my column know that I have written about two fantastic choices for fried chicken in the past year. One is Dominic’s in Medina, whose fried chicken is as good as it gets, and the other is the White House Chicken.

White House Chicken in Wadsworth has been there for many years and is just as good as if you are in the original famous Barberton location. Owner Mike and Manager Chris know their chicken and cook it to perfection every time. They set me up with drum sticks, drumettes and chicken fingers. Perfect for picnics and their heavy-duty boxes make it even better.

Picnic foods come in all shapes and sizes, but finger food is the best. Healthy, simple foods are even better. We try to keep it to proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, maybe a few carbs, and perhaps a little “boxed” wine for the adults and water or something healthy as the other drink option. Keep it light so you feel invigorated after your day in the sunshine and nature.

Here are some tips to make your picnic healthy and easy:

First, use the bounty of summer. Fresh peaches, cherries, whatever fruits and veggies are in the farmers markets and roadside stands. Eat them in their natural state. It is easier and healthier. Baked tortilla chips and salsa are good appetizers, as are celery with peanut butter. Watermelon precut and kept cool is ideal for that hot summer day. Mini kabobs with cherry tomatoes and small chunks of mozzarella with basil leaves in between can be great, as well. Balsamic vinegar to drizzle over them, even better. Biggest advice is to ditch the desserts and go with strawberries or fresh blueberries or blackberries as your dessert.

But Karl, fried chicken isn’t really that healthy, right? OK, you got me there, but it was so good! And we were healthy everywhere else to make room for our splurge.

Happy pic-a-nicking!