If you haven't heard of Misfits Market, it's a subscription service for groceries. They reroute items rejected by grocery stores for whatever reason – this might be a potato that's smaller than ideal or an apple that's a funny shape. Nothing is wrong with them, but stores only want the most perfect specimens.
When I started with Misfits a few years ago, it was strictly organic produce, but it has expanded to include all kinds of groceries now, including meat, dairy, snacks, and pantry items.
However, I still order strictly organic produce, especially items that are more difficult to find organic here in the dead of winter in northeastern South Dakota. I focus on some items included on the "Dirty Dozen" list of produce with the most pesticide residue – like strawberries, apples, and bell peppers that I want to be sure to buy organic.
Just be aware when you're ordering that you do need to pay attention to whether items are organic or look at ingredient labels for processed foods because not everything they carry is what I would call quality food.
Here's a look at one Misfits Market experience.
My Produce Box
My box arrived right on schedule, and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. The produce I got back in 2021 would often be obviously "imperfect" in some way – nothing inedible, just funny-looking.
This box, though, was nearly perfect. I got:
- 1 nice big pineapple
- 2 avocados that are still green and a few days from ripe
- 2 mangoes – maybe smaller than "normal" mangoes
- 3 bulbs of garlic
- A bag of Honeycrisp apples with no imperfections
- A bunch (three stalks) of perfect broccoli
- 1 big cauliflower that had only the most minimal brown spots
- A bag of perfect carrots
- 3 perfect romaine hearts
- A package of almost perfect strawberries – just a few a little underripe
- A bag of mini sweet peppers – a couple small ones and a couple curvy ones
All that near-perfect organic produce was around $60, counting shipping.
How I'm Using It
Now, if you're like me and want to use a produce box to make healthier food choices, here's where Misfits is great.
First, I wash it (I wash all produce I eat the skin of, even if I grew it in my own garden), and then, I peel/chop/cut everything that will keep that way.
So I left the pineapple, mangoes, avocados, and apples alone, but I cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets. I cut the ends off the carrots and peeled them. I shredded the lettuce into bite-sized pieces, and I topped and cut the strawberries into quarters.
Taking the time to do this means I have everything ready to use when throwing together a meal, and most important (for me at least), I'm only getting the cutting board, knife, and peeler dirty once.
To use it, my goal is simply to use something from the box in each meal. This gets me constantly thinking about how to incorporate veggies and fruits into meals.
The day after I got the box, I had an apple with peanut butter for breakfast. For lunch, I made a salad with romaine, cauliflower, and carrots and topped it with some leftover chicken-bacon-ranch mixture from our wraps the evening before. I snacked on strawberries. And for supper, I roasted broccoli, peppers, carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage (which I already had) and tossed it all into some mac and cheese.
Voila! I went from hardly eating any fruits and veggies the previous several days to getting all those great nutrients.
Can You Benefit from Misfits Market?
If you're in the same boat as me and need a little inspiration to eat more fresh produce or if you have limited access to organic produce in your area, Misfits Market might be a good fit for you.
If you're ready to give Misfits Market a try, feel free to use my link/code: COOKWME-VF3YHB – it will get you a discount ($25 as of January 2026).
Questions You May Have
Since I have found the Misfits Market website to be incredibly frustrating, I'm going to answer a few of the questions I had and save you the digging around I had to do.
What kind of produce do they have?
This was one of my biggest concerns. I didn't want to sign up and find out they had a very limited selection, but I was surprised. I have gotten all the vegetables common to a small town in the upper Midwest, plus other items that are a bit more "exotic" or seasonal, depending on where you live – like mangoes, bok choy, multi-colored carrots, and more.
They won't have all items all the time, but there has always been an ample selection for me to choose from. No complaints on that score.
What does the subscription cost?
As of January 2026, there are two options.
I'm on the flex plan where I log in and fill my cart when I want to place an order. The minimum is $45. Note: There are specific shopping windows, and I can only order during my window, so I do need to plan/pay attention.
The other option is a subscription where you're sent boxes on a regular basis. It appears the minimum for this is also $45. Note: The subscription plan will auto-fill your cart, and if you don't change it before the order window closes, it could ship you a bunch of stuff you don't want. That's why I got off of it. *Usually,* it didn't auto fill enough to meet the $45 minimum to process the order, but it could. Just be aware.
There are taxes, fees, and shipping charges, too. Shipping is $9.99, which isn't cheap, but I do feel they are packaged well, and I've had boxes damaged during delivery, but the product inside was still perfect.
Am I guaranteed to get everything I order?
No, items can go out of stock and get removed from your box. I had zucchini on my order, but when the box shipped, I received a notification that the zucchini wasn't included, and I was not charged for it. It happens less and less often, but it's just something to be aware of.
This doesn't bother me, but if you're absolutely counting on receiving an item, it could be inconvenient.
Is Misfits Market really cheaper than buying at the store?
I don't have access to a lot of organic produce, and I don't pay all that much attention to produce prices at the store, but I paid $5.53 for 2 pounds of Misfits Honeycrisp apples, and I think they're $7+ for organic at my store. I also paid $1.37 for a pound of carrots, and I believe conventional carrots are around 99 cents a pound at the store. These savings are offset by the shipping charges, but then, the convenience of having it delivered to your door is worth something, too.
Overall, if you're accustomed to buying conventional produce, you're not going to save money, and there may not even be a huge difference on organic once you factor in shipping, but if you're like me, expanding your choices for organic produce and having it delivered adds value beyond the price.
If you have a question I haven't answered, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer.
And if you're ready to order your first Misfits Market box, make sure you take advantage of my discount link.
*This site may contain affiliate links, which means you pay the usual price, but a portion of it goes to me and supports my family and small business. I appreciate it and will only ever affiliate for products that I use and love.*
0 Comments