I’ve been taking fruit and vegetables boxes from Misfits Market now for over 6 months. Misfits Market is a subscription based online store for produce that is less than perfect, or that is rescued from a store because it hasn’t yet sold. I’ve decided that I really do like it. Here’s why:

It’s hard to get great and varied produce from my one little store locally. And forget getting anything slightly out of the ordinary. When I travel once a month an do a big shopping trip, I can only get produce I’ll use in the next week or two.

Misfit Markets produce is all organic – better for me without the preservatives and pesticides that most supermarket produce may have. That said, some of the produce is already at peak time to use, and if over-ripe may have some minor damage upon arrival. It needs to be used up first. Other produce may not be ripe at all yet.

I know I’m buying the ugly or not perfect fruit and vegetables, or overstocked produce from a store, that might otherwise be thrown away. We waste too much in this country. Produce from Misfits may be smaller, or larger, than normal, or it may have surface blemishes or be mis-shapen.

I can pick the day it’s delivered, and, in my area now, I can even log in and choose what produce I would like rather than let Misfits choose for me. In part that’s a good thing, because I know I’ll use what I ordered, but I do miss the surprise of opening the box to see what comes this week. I also was forced to try new things when something unexpected appeared.

And now for you, 25% off your first box. Use order code COOKWME-NX3NKU !

IF there is a problem with the box, I just email and their great customer service takes care of it – whether with a replacement or with a credit.

Packaging is all compost-able or can re recycled. The cardboard box goes to recycling, as do the gel packs inside once the drain safe gel is removed. The inside packing is can be put in the garden compost pile – it’s cornstarch based filling (which just dissolves when wet) with a thin outer paper shell.

I can choose to skip a week if needed, and there are two different size boxes depending on your family size. I get 10-13 lbs of produce weekly (the other size is 18-22 lbs). I don’t have to worry about when it’s coming (for me I settled on Thursdays – you can pick your delivery day); and if I order some onions, scallions, carrots or apples because I need them, I know I’ll have them on the weekend when I cook the most.

Price is no more than I would have to pay at a regular market for the same amount of organic produce, and, in fact, I think I may save money. My box is $22, and the large box $32. One week I’m going to try a large box just to see how much produce 20 lbs is!

The day it comes I take everything out, wash all the produce. It’s organic – that does not necessarily mean dirt and pest free! I find I don’t have any pesky fruit flies in the kitchen when I wash everything immediately.

Is Misfit Markets my sole place for fruits and vegetables? No…I also garden and grow quite a bit on my own. I visit the local farmers market and buy locally from the farmers and road side stands. I pick wild blueberries and blackberries. But I never run out of produce because I know my box will arrive on Thursday morning.

I think tonight baked apples, and a zucchini -yellow squash casserole. Or maybe a roasted beet….or roasted red peppers. So many choices for this week until the next box!

Visit their website and let me know if you’ve tried it and what you think!