In the November 2019 issue of This Awful Awesome Life, I mentioned the new online produce service, Misfits Markets.* I had just decided to try the service which delivers an assortment of seasonal organic fruits and vegetables to your door at a 40% discount.
According to their website, almost half of the food grown by farmers in the United States never makes it to grocery stores because it is irregular in appearance. These fruits or vegetables may be too big or small or they are have an irregular shape or cosmetic blemishes. Sometimes there may be a surplus of a certain type of produce or there might not be enough to sell to a grocery chain. These irregular fruits and vegetables that weren’t purchased often went to waste.
To help keep fruits and vegetables affordable and stop the cycle of waste, Misfits Market was created.
For my first order, I selected the size of box (Mischief – 10-13 pounds of assorted produce or Madness – 18-22 pounds) and frequency of delivery (weekly or bi-weekly).
The only catch was I couldn’t pick which fruits or vegetables I received. Each box is supposed to be a delicious surprise and designed to encourage me to try new fruits and vegetables. Luckily, I don’t have any known food allergies, but my oldest son (who has his own home) does. This made me wonder how this service would fare with people who do have sensitivities or allergies.
My first box arrived and I received green beans, celery root, a pomegranate, oranges, limes, pears, lettuce, eggplant, acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and onions. Also included was a recipe card.
Everything was excellent and I had no trouble finding delicious ways to incorporate these fruits and vegetables into our menu.
My next order offered me the opportunity to add on a few extra items. This enabled me to select two Haas avocados and try some persimmons – which were sweet and delicious. I used them to sweeten my oatmeal and in place of jelly. I also ordered old fashioned oats and Organic Medjool Dates. The dates are so tasty, I couldn’t decide if I should make date bars or just eat them. They were also a delicious sweetener for my oatmeal. Word of warning – you can get carried away with these delicious add-ons if you aren’t careful and double the cost of your box.
After my second box arrived, Misfits announced they were offering customers in selected subscription areas the opportunity to remain surprised or select the produce they wanted to receive in each box from a list of available items for the month. I’m happy to say Pittsburgh is one of the selected areas. This is huge because of allergies and personal preferences. I have no doubt it will be company wide soon, because another company selling online irregular produce, Perfectly Imperfect Produce, lets customers choose.
Misfits has also changed their packaging in an attempt to be more eco friendly. More of the packaging can be recycled, but the produce is still well protected. I haven’t had any problems with shipments. I haven’t had to contact Misfits directly, so I can’t comment on how they handle damaged produce or incorrect orders.
How do you prefer to shop for produce? Do you grow your own vegetables or visit farmer’s markets to find the freshest produce?
Do you cruise the produce aisle gently touching, sniffing and examining every fruit or vegetable you select?
Perhaps you head for the over ripe bananas and packages of discounted produce or grab the first available item on the shelf and hurry through the produce section?
Do you eschew the produce section altogether and opt for frozen or canned produce?
Adding fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet is important for a healthy lifestyle. So far, having fresh produce delivered to my door works well for me. I enjoy trying new foods and I like the savings. It’s sent me online to read about some of the more exotic food items I’ve received and I’ve found some delicious recipes. I’ve discovered the best way to remove the seeds from a pomegranate and Celery root is delicious prepared as an alternative to oven baked French fries.
I may try other produce services or even consider trying a meal service such as the Purple Carrot or Home Chef in the future, but for now I’m just enjoying my bi-weekly Mischief boxes.
For information about Misfits Markets, visit their website https://www.misfitsmarket.com/collections/the-misfits-boxes.
*I have not received any type of compensation from Misfits Markets for this article.