I just wanted to do a quick post about Misfits Market “ugly” produce boxes. These produce items are either not pretty enough to be sold in stores, or they are overstock that would otherwise be wasted. The point of Misfits boxes is to reduce the tragic waste of freshly harvested produce that this country throws away every day.
Another positive thing about Misfits is that it’s mostly organic produce. Organic produce can be quite expensive. And they have more than produce…they also offer an assortment of meats, seasonings, extracts, eggs, and other useful food items.
Originally, Misfits was a monthly box with a flat rate where you didn’t choose the contents. But over time, the company shifted to make it a marketplace store where you shop for exactly what you want from the available items and build your own box. You can get as little or as much as you want, provided that you spend at least $30 on your box for the month. You can skip any months that you don’t want a box, and if your selections don’t total the $30 minimum, you’ll be skipped automatically for that month.
Now I’ve seen a lot of complaints from potential customers about how you can’t see the prices until you sign up with a credit card on file. Most people want to see if the prices are competitive before they sign up. But still, there’s no commitment once you sign up…it just gives you access to the site.
I’ve gotten the opportunity to try Misfits a few times now, because it’s one of the box types that my son’s warehouse distributes, and we occasionally benefit from misdelivered or damaged boxes (remember when I tried meal boxes from Dinnerly, Green Chef, Marley Spoon, Home Chef, and Hello Fresh the same way?) But I have to say that I’ve been really impressed with the freshness and quality of the items! Only once did we receive something we didn’t like…they were blood oranges with purple flesh and just weren’t flavorful at all…very bland, so I threw them out. Other than that, I’ve been able to put everything to good use.
Last week, he brought me a bunch of large zucchini. I grated it up and used it to make a couple of batches of healthy zucchini bread with different mix-ins (I made a batch with mini chocolate chips for the kids and a batch with raisins, cinnamon, and walnuts for me). It was wonderful! The carrots were shorter than usual, which I assume is why they were misfits, but they were very sweet and tasty. The celery was skinnier than what you’d buy in the store, but it was very good, and I chopped it up in some soup I was making. I had a ton of broccoli, so I washed it, trimmed it into broccoli cuts, and put it in freezer bags for future use in recipes. I got a bunch of green peppers, which are hard to find right now for some reason, and some white onions, so I went and bought a bunch of red peppers to cut up with those so I could freeze bags of onion/pepper strips to go in my chili and Philly steak sandwiches.
I’ve had quite a variety of produce, including fruits, as well as some meats and cheeses and spices. Nearly everything has been organic!
I’m very pleased with the size and quality of the items. I have no idea what it costs or how it compares with what is available in grocery stores in my area since I haven’t signed up myself, but I did want to speak to the quality and freshness of the items.
If you have trouble getting organic produce where you live, or you are just tired of endless trips to the store, give Misfits a try and see if it works for you!
