There are a lot of cool things out there that make us wonder — do they really work? In our I Tried It series, we set out to use them in the real world and have determined that, in fact, they really do.
On Trial: Misfits Market produce delivery subscription
Tester: Melanie Yates, home cook, total veg-head
The Brief: We all have our arbitrary signifiers of what real adulthood looks like, right? My grown-up pipe dream is to one day be responsible enough to subscribe to a CSA (that's Community Supported Agriculture) box. Beyond shopping at a farmers' market, paying upfront for a season of these bundles might be one of the best ways to support local farms and enjoy an overwhelming supply of organic, non-GMO, really fresh, and delicious produce that didn't travel across time zones to get to your dinner table.
But planning for the future is tricky right now, and it doesn't feel realistic for me to commit to the roughly 20 weeks of in-person produce pickup that CSAs normally require. Subscribing to Misfits Market is a good gateway into the world of responsibly grown, randomly curated, sometimes imperfect, farm-fresh boxes of produce.
Launched by founder and CEO Abhi Ramesh in 2018, Misfits Market is a subscription service that works with certified-organic farms to resell excess produce that isn't fit for supermarket shelves. This could mean anything from veggies that fail to meet USDA cosmetic and sizing requirements to certain types of produce that just don't sell as much as others. The boxes start at $22, and while the exact number of fruits and veggies that you receive may vary with each shipment, Misfits estimates that you're saving roughly 40% on your groceries by opting for their marked-down, seasonal selection.
I'm a longtime subscriber to meal kits, having cooked up boxes from Blue Apron, Sun Basket, Hello Fresh, and Wild Alaskan Company over the last few years. While none of these companies are perfect, their convenience and unique menu options have helped save me from a diet consisting of entirely lentil and chickpea stews.
Although I know the drill as far as customizing a box and scheduling delivery goes, for those who are completely new to the process, it's very easy and straightforward to navigate. Misfits delivers to all but 13 states at the moment, and users can choose which day of the week they'd like to receive produce deliveries and how often (on a weekly or biweekly basis), and most importantly, select the size of their box.
The Mischief Box ($22) comprises 12 types of produce in single or double portions, while the Madness Box ($35) comprises 14 types of produce with 2-4 portions per type. Subscribers can also change the size of their box or pause their subscription at any time.
I was sent the Madness Box, and while I'm glad I got the full lay of the land, I'd probably opt for the smaller Mischief Box next time, since it's quite a large haul for one person. I received the following in my (midwinter) Misfits Market Box:
I also received a few samples of coffee beans, chips, protein bars, and chocolate bark from Misfits' new-ish Marketplace feature, which allows customers to select a few specialty produce items, herbs and spices, and pantry staples to add to their box. This seems to make the brand more of a one-stop shop and formidable competitor to grocery delivery services like Instacart.
While there's a whole lot that can go wrong with meal delivery boxes in the age of egregious package delays, I didn't experience anything out of the ordinary with my delivery. It came boxed up inside of recycled-plastic, cushioned Renewliner insulation. And as far as quality and general ~produce aesthetics~ go, the vast majority of the haul looked pretty normal. The onions were firm, the apples were vibrant and large, and the two avocados I was sent were at the perfect stage of ripeness.
There were some exceptions, too: Namely, a soft and wonky-looking green bell pepper, a wilted head of lettuce, and a container of organic blueberries that were beginning to turn. I can sympathize with some of the Misfits Market’s social media reviewers who see receiving less-than-perfect produce as a quality-control oversight, but in signing up and paying for the service, you are being sent a surprise box of produce, sight unseen. I’d feel differently if anything was completely inedible, but I was able to salvage everything with no problem by eating it right away or freezing it.
I like to peruse the marked-down produce section of any grocery store I visit to try to score some wilting but very much edible fruit and veg. It's an affordable way to shop healthfully, preventing perfectly good food from going to waste — plus, shopping this way also unlocks some creativity that I don't have with a supermarket full of endless choices. I appreciate that Misfits is supplying that service on a larger scale, working with farms and farmer's cooperatives to buy what would've ended up being very expensive discard for the growers.
In the early weeks of the pandemic, we saw how problematic a disruption in the agricultural supply chain can be, as farms with surplus produce from restaurant and school closures were forced to destroy crops without a sustainable system in place to sell food directly to consumers or donate it to food banks. Misfits, while by no means a CSA replacement, is just one of a handful of direct-to-consumer companies that are looking to bridge the gap between grower and home cook.
Closing Argument: I was really happy with my Misfits Market experience. I thought the surprise seasonal produce selection was well-curated, and despite a couple of less-than-prime picks in the box, everything else arrived looking delicious and ready to eat. In my completely at-home life now, I'm trying to cook more, get more creative with my meal planning, and also reduce food waste. Misfits Market checks all of those boxes for me, and its $22 starting price point makes it all the more appetizing.
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