I’ll admit it. I was skeptical that I would know what to do once the first box of weird, misshapen fruits and vegetables from Misfits Market arrived at my door. I am not what most people would call a “food guy.” I watched Ugly Delicious, I figured Bourdain was probably a good hang, and I know when something tastes dope, but was I ready to prepare anything myself? That remained to be seen.
I subscribed to Misfits Markets because I hated walking into the co-op or grocery store and being overwhelmed by the unknown.
African cucumber? Jicama?
Hell, I’m just getting comfortable with Kale in my smoothies. I certainly wasn’t ready to buy any of this on my own. I jumped at the opportunity to use a concierge grocery store service and expand my taste pallet. The fact that they promote eco-packing and source their offerings directly from farms from around the country made what they had even more appealing.
Recipes to Match from Misfits Market Blog
My first box, the Mischief, arrived and just as advertised: the offerings were atypical.
Granted, they weren’t as weird as I thought they might be. It wasn’t like they sent me orangish bananas and yellow grapefruits. Instead, I found things a bit misshaped, a tad over or undersized, and a bit beat up—no big deal.
Once I cut them up or prepared them, my logic was: what they looked like out of the box didn’t matter too much. Case and point: one of the offerings in my box was a gigantic zucchini. What the hell was I going to do with zucchini this size?
I went online and found that Misfits Market runs a blog with recipes for a lot of their offerings. The Zucchini Feta Bread recipe called for three cups of grated zucchini, so I got out a shredder and got to work. The concept was simple, like banana bread, but with zucchini and more savory.
The good news is that I found a relatively simple recipe to match every item I pulled out of the box. From there, it was just plug-and-play.
No More Grocery Store Panic
Another great thing about using Misfits Market is that it removes some of the grocery store complications. I am not even talking about the current complications of mask-wearing, people-proximity, and supply chain frustrations, but the more typical ones of “What do I do with that?”
I used to be the type of shopper who stuck to granny smith apples, maybe a half dozen bananas, a few potatoes, and the bags of lettuce that always seemed to be wilted by the time I got around to making a “salad” (greens + cheese + ranch dressing = salad, yes?). Misfits Market is doing something pretty cool: introducing me to new things and providing me with an opportunity to put them into my weekly diet.
Scallions? Beets? Plums? Never had I ever. At least not until Misfits Market dropped them at my door.
Final Verdict
I’ve received nearly a month’s worth now. The only thing I am still trying to work out is what the hell I am supposed to do with fennel. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I am just a guy with many new fruits and vegetables (and the old standbys too!) looking for fun ways to eat healthier and help cut down on food waste.
I recommend Misfits Market to anyone who finds themselves in a similar boat. You won’t regret it.
