This Grocery Box Had a 100,000-Person Waitlist, and I Finally Understand What the Hype Is About
Courtesy of Misfits Market
I am the particular sort of home cook who loves trying out new recipes but absolutely hates obtaining the ingredients necessary to do so. I like the idea of grocery shopping and regularly fantasize about taking the time to visit the best bakery, butcher, produce stand, or fancy grocer in the city. I imagine lightly squeezing bread to ensure freshness and even evaluating the aroma of a peach before placing it in the reusable shopping bag I brought from home. In this dream I'm also wearing a cottagecore dress, but that's beside the point.
Unfortunately, my fantasy is far from reality, and grocery shopping in a city without a car is usually a pain in the butt. I won't get too far into the details, but I will say this: The train is a difficult place to negotiate a lot of bags, visiting multiple specialty food destinations means traversing across neighborhoods, and the experience will end with sweating profusely. Be warned. All of this is to say that when Misfits Market, an online grocery delivery service offering organic produce and sustainably sourced groceries, sent me a box, I wasn't just impressed: I was relieved. Here's the most important part: Right now, you, too, can sign up for this delightful grocery delivery service.
Courtesy of Misfits Market
Unlike other grocery subscription services or farm shares, Misfits Market allows you to choose what's in your box yourself. That means you'll never get anything you don't actually want, a quality that I and my several pounds of unused farm-share potatoes can certainly appreciate. The site has hundreds of items to choose from across categories, including produce, bakery, vegetables, and even beverages. If you're a beginner home cook, you can check out the brand's list of favorites and essentials, a list of popular and useful ingredients that rotate weekly, as well as a breakdown of what's in season.
In addition to the selection, Misfits Market offers some pretty competitive pricing. The brand notes that its groceries are up to 40 percent off what you'd find in traditional grocery stores since they work directly with food producers and growers to source their items. According to the website, they curate products that "would have gone to waste for a variety of reasons, whether they're short-dated, excess inventory, or victim of a packaging change. Misfits Market steps in to rescue them and makes them more affordable and accessible to everyone."
Like anyone else, I'm always a fan of saving money on groceries. However, the idea of purchasing food that's not only edible but delicious, at a discount because Misfits Market saved it from going to waste is even more appealing. In its FAQ section, Misfits Market shares that almost a third of the food grown in the United States never gets harvested because it "doesn't meet the superficial standards of a traditional grocery store." Like the name of the brand suggests, you may occasionally receive a tripod carrot or an oblong apple — but that produce is just as tasty as anything you'd find on a grocery store shelf.
My box from Misfits Market had items from just about every category I could think of, and all of them were equally impressive. In addition to in-season produce like carrots, red leaf lettuce, limes, and plums, I also received pasta, pasta sauce, a loaf of bread, and even a box of dairy-free and gluten-free cookies I initially didn't trust but actually quite enjoyed. Some of the produce looked ever so slightly more unique than what I'd find on the shelf at the store, but none of it compromised on quality and taste.
All of that considered, it's no surprise that Misfits had a 100,000-person waitlist in April 2020 that took until early June 2020 to clear—and a late summer lull in your cooking and shopping routine makes now the perfect time to try it for yourself. If you're like me and appreciate cooking and eating far more than the search for food, Misfits Market could be your salvation. It brings all the best and most necessary parts of the grocery store right to your door for a fraction of the cost—all you have to do is put on your apron.
