‘I Tried Misfits Markets Delivery, And The Produce Really Isn’t That Ugly’

From Women's Health

Editor's note: Due to high demand for their produce boxes right now, Misfits Market is currently not accepting first-time orders and has set up a waitlist to get new subscribers in on the ugly produce party as soon as possible. Subscribers may also experience delays as the company works through supply chain issues related to COVID-19.

I truly loathe wasting food. I've been known to save an eighth of an onion to use later, make kitchen sink salads with whatever random odds and ends we have in the fridge (not always successfully, I'll admit), and I even petitioned our apartment complex for a compost bin (also not successful).

I also really try to buy organic produce—though I don't think I've ever made it through checkout at Whole Foods without wincing.

So when Instagram started serving me ads for Misfits Market, which promised to hook me up with organic produce that would otherwise be wasted for a good price, I was sold pretty much immediately. (I don't usually appreciate being targeted by the internet like this, but this felt like a worthy cause.)

Within a matter of minutes, I'd signed myself up to receive my first box of salvaged organic produce the following week.

After that first box, my fiancé and I continued to use Misfits Market for months, so the experience was clearly net positive. Still, though, there are a few things I wish I'd known before signing up, so this honest Misfits Market review recaps all of the deets—from the good, to the bad, to the ugly eggplants.

What is Misfits Market, you ask?

First things first: A quick re-cap on what Misfits Market is and all of the fun logistical stuff you probably want to know before ordering yourself pounds of fruits and veggies.

Misfits Market is a produce subscription service that sends you boxes of organic produce at a cheaper price point than you'd get it for at the store (up to 40 percent cheaper, they say).

How they do it: First, Misfits Market buys organic produce that farmers and stores might not be able to sell otherwise (often because it's "ugly" or the wrong size, because people are superficial AF—even about fruits and veggies).

From there, they divvy the good stuff up amongst their box orders and ship you an assortment of produce. (Right now, they deliver to 23 states in the eastern U.S., plus Washington D.C.)

At first, Misfits Market subscribers didn't have any say in what would land on their doorsteps.

Since then, though, Misfits Market has added a cool new feature called The Marketplace: Returning customers can now select discounted pantry items (like spices, grains, beans, and canned foods) to add to their usual produce boxes. They're typically products with a best-by date coming up quick or a label printing issue.

The brand is also currently working on making their produce selection customizable, so you can pick and choose which fruits and vegetables you want in your next box.

Here's how subscribing to Misfits Market works.

You can opt for one of two produce box options from Misfits Market.

The smaller box, called The Mischief, costs $22 and contains 10 to 13 pounds of mixed fruits and veggies, which should feed two people for a week. (Misfits Market estimates this much would cost about $35 in the store.)

If you've for more mouths to feed or use an absurd amount of produce, The Madness box is jam-packed with 18 to 22 pounds of organic produce, serves up to five people for a week, and costs $35. (Misfits estimates you'd spend $65 in-store.)

Once you've selected your box, you can choose how often you want to receive deliveries—and when. I opted for bi-weekly deliveries on Tuesdays (they don't do Mondays) so I could prep food for the rest of the week.

My first impression of Misfits Market: The produce isn't that ugly.

I was like a kid on Christmas when our first box arrived—and I tore it open like a savage 8-year-old. Warm August weather meant loads of cool produce was in season, and I was ecstatic to find our box filled with celery, leafy greens, onions, grapefruits, mangoes, peppers, potatoes, cucumbers, plums, bell and chili peppers, and eggplant

One of the eggplants was shaped like a banana and the bell peppers were super curvy and bumpy, but otherwise the box of organic goodies was totally normal-looking.

Though I gave my mangoes to my dad (I'm not a fan of 'em), we used the rest of our produce pretty easily throughout the next week or so. Leafy greens made for quick salads and the fruit kept us from snacking on packaged stuff. Our refrigerator looked brighter and more colorful than ever; I was a happy camper.

Throughout the rest of the summer, I looked forward to our deliveries with equal glee—and convinced a handful of my friends and co-workers to give Misfits Market a try.

For better or worse, Misfits Market totally changed our kitchen routine.

As the weather cooled off, I worried our Misfits Market boxes would start showing up chock-full of potatoes and onions—and without the color and variety I'd so loved throughout the summer months.

I was pleasantly surprised, though. While the number of potatoes, onions, and other root veggies (like beets, rutabagas, and turnips) certainly increased, every box still offered lots of different fruits and veggies.

A few staples did show up frequently, including celery, potatoes, some variety of tomatoes, onions, and cauliflower. I had no problem using up most of them, but definitely increased my peanut butter consumption to kill off all of the celery.

For me, the trickiest aspect of using Misfits Market was adjusting my meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking routine. A creature of habit, I like going into the week with meals already planned and prepped—but our Misfits Market subscription turned my usual process on its head.

At first, it was also challenging to figure out what the heck to make with some of the produce in our boxes. As much as I love veggies, I had never dreamed of purchasing a rutabaga before one showed up on my doorstep. (Turns out, it's delicious roasted, BTW.)

After a few weeks, though, my control-freak ways eased off and I started to really enjoy finding new ways to use up our produce deliveries. Pro tip here, though: If you unbox something you have no idea what to do with, find a recipe or some inspiration and use it up, stat. Otherwise, the chances of it sitting in the back of your fridge and spoiling are high. (Speaking from experience, unfortunately.)

All the while, Misfits Market did a good job of communicating when there might be shifts in delivery schedules (like around holidays) and sharing recipes to make with their current offering.

Of course, though, shipping produce doesn't always go perfectly. Once or twice, I opened up a box to find a piece of fruit had been squashed or that the green beans looked a little past their prime. Generally, though, Misfits Market didn't disappoint.

After months of looking forward to our bi-weekly deliveries and parading our produce around the apartment, I had to suspend our subscription when my naturopathic doc put me on an elimination diet that would leave a bunch of fruits and veggies off the table. A necessary move for my health, but (le sigh), I was sad.

Now, though, as my elimination diet draws to a close, you'd better believe I'll re-up my subscription and take advantage of the new features Misfits Market has added during our time apart.

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