I find the cultivated dandelion greens much, much more tender than what grows wild in my area. The wild ones here have shorter leaves too. I’m happy to purchase them rather than deal with gathering them!
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This reminds me of the story, “Get Yer Yayas Out”, in “Naked”, by David Sedaris. His tales are best in the audiobook version, but are still darn funny in print.
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I had already used some and put away the rest before realizing I didn’t photograph the content of this week’s mischief box. Other than the outside leaves of a head of red leaf lettuce, which looked like sodden seaweed, everything was in good shape. Heirloom cherry tomatoes clamshell, 2 big ears of corn, 2 big mangoes, 2 big zucchini, 2 big green bell peppers, 2 small butternut squashes, 3 small onions, 3 small carrots, 4 golden delicious apples, and 6 baby red potatoes.
I joined the end of March. So far, knock wood, I haven’t received anything I can’t/won’t use. Three mangoes are more than I have bought in total in my 70 years. The two widely-spaced ones prior to MM must not have been fully ripe when eaten. The flesh near the pits stung my tongue and lips like a pineapple core. Now, however, I know how to tell when a mango is ripe.
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I’m sure everyone is waiting on the edge of their chairs for this update. Misfit got back to me after several days and told me they would discount a future box by 25%. The response was annoying. Something like they are working through how to ship in warmer weather. I mean. Yes, it is June on the east coast. I cancelled.
It looks like Misfits has some competition. Imperfect Produce has entered the NJ/NY market and even allows you to customize your order (mixed, fruit & vegetables, fruit only, vegetables only, organic only). You can even choose which fruits or vegetables you want, so you don’t get stuck with an unwanted item. They will let you know before your order what they have in stock and you can choose from that. Small non organic boxes (7-9 pounds) can go for as little as $11 to $13 (organic $15-17, and more if you customize to a more expensive fruit vegetable).
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This along with some of their other responses is troubling. It’s not as if shipping in hot weather has never been done before. They should have these details figured out before they go into business. Either they feel the customers should be their training wheels or they have a really poorly trained customer support department. Good for you using your dollar as your vote. Unfortunately that seems to be the only message many companies are able to hear.
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Nailed it. I couldn’t have said it better myself!
I hope to see another company work out in my area of NJ. MM disappointed my wife and I many weeks ago and its unfortunate to read delivery remains a mixed bag.
I used to huy a LOT of those for my guinea pigs.
On the rare occasions I get to Wegmans, I inevitably overshop, with the result that my biweekly mischief box produce got ahead of me. Before the bletting and dents went too far, I needed to do something. A long-gone Indian buffet I loved always offered a chunky salad the likes of which I haven’t seen elsewhere. It may be inauthentic, but cuts rich entrees and would be a good side with barbecued and grilled meats.
They cut summer squashes, cucumbers, apples, melons, and bell peppers into bitesized chunks, sliced sweet onion, and halved grapes. There may have been a bit of garlic, S&P. The dressing was nothing more than mild vinegar. Mine has: zucchini, cucumber, bell pepper, apple, mango, cantaloupe, blueberries, craisins, sliced scallion, halved cherry tomatoes, and shredded carrot, in a big bowl. I used TJ’S onion salt and 21 Seasoning Salute, some raspberry balsamic, and what little remained in bottles of cider vinegar and rice vinegar. After it sits in the fridge a while, the juices exude. It still needed a little water for the right level of acidity. Sweeten to taste - I used powdered monkfruit. This may sound odd but it’s delicious, and greatly slows the rate of spoilage. I’m not a parent, but think this salad might go over well with children.
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Here’s a tweet from someone who was totally satisfied by Imperfect Foods: https://twitter.com/krisv_723/status/1247973977034719235?s=09
(I am purposely not including the picture here, but you should check it out!)
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My most recent box marks my MM anniversary. I’ve found that a three-week interval works best for me, though that requires prioritizing and, often, pickling. The easiest way to schedule was to switch from biweekly to weekly, then skip two weeks. Since they automatically email a reminder about when they will bill the next shipment, skipping doesn’t skip my mind. I wish they’d offer a 6-8# size. Recently, I was offered the opportunity to beta test customized orders. I like it, but I also miss the surprise element. I would prefer that rather than asking customers to choose from a list of what they anticipate having for the week, customers could specify what they don’t (fennel, anise, cilantro, very hit peppers) or can’t eat (grapefruit interacts with one of my prescriptions). I’m not the only one who has suggested they consider this approach.
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Silly me, not checking for a thread on MM here on HO… just received my 2nd delivery (I’m getting the smaller box every other week). And when I say JUST, I mean JUST. As in, at 10:02pm. Not so thrilled about that, but I do think it’s a good value.
This time the box had a bunch of parsley, 2 green peppers, a huge jicama*, the largest beet* I’ve ever seen (as in, the size of an acorn squash), small red potatoes, tiny onions*, 4 limes*, a huge cucumber, 3 plum tomatoes, 5 tiny pluots, a few apples*, and 2 grapefruits.
- = repeats from the last box
I started subscribing because a friend in the next town over was so excited about getting his box, and I was seeing the good quality each time. HE, however, now gets to choose what he receives. I’m hoping that will kick in for me sooner vs. later, because I still have a long list of things to buy from the grocery store tomorrow (as in, I’ve received NO greens–in summer–in NJ) and if I have to continue to buy all of the stuff I was already buying at the store, I’m not sure if this is really a good value for me. That said, I did manage to use up almost everything from the last box, except for the jicama, which I just cut up 2 days ago, and 2 of the 4 limes.
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It was a year after I joined before I was invited to participate in beta testing for customization. But according to the FB group, some foks who joined a lot later were offered customization after a couple of months.
I like it, but would prefer to be able to specify what I don’t/can’t eat, because the surprise element appeals to me. It’s how I came to be a mango fanatic. Before MM, I’d bought the occasional standard Tommy Atkins mango and probably opened them too soon. They irritated my tongue. But the Ataulfo and Keitt mangoes are out of this world.
I was just asked to do beta for a revised website they are working on. I haven’t yet seen it.
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If you want something fun or different, should you get slightly green mangos where they still are quite firm (and as you say 'irritating to the tongue) these are great pickled with a bit of chili. There’s a few markets nearby that sometimes have Thai or Vietnamese style pickled mangos which I love as a snack. They are also good if you want to make something like a Malayasian mango chicken dish or Thai-syle fried rice. The firmness is needed so you don’t have a mushy texture after a stir fry.
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Thanks…this is helpful. My friend who lives in the next town (<1 mile from me) says he was invited to customize his box after 3-4 deliveries. If you’re site testing, perhaps you can add my suggestion that they offer a link from the MM page to the delivery company’s page for info on delivery hours! That was so frustrating last week–just wanted to know how late it might potentially arrive (and it ended up being an hour past that). It would also be nice to be able to tell them NOT to send more of something that was in the previous box (I had 4 limes and 4 small onions each time); it’s not that it’s impossible to use these things up over the 2-week period, but I already had both of those items in the house before my first box arrived, so…
I’m with you on wanting the ability to at least say “Don’t give me (tomatoes, peppers–yes, really),” but will say that thus far, I’ve definitely been using up everything I do like/am willing to try. Things that I like (jicama, for example) have been in both boxes, yet I rarely buy jicama–mostly because it doesn’t always look great in my regular grocery store. The good news is that my friend gets his delivery on the alternate weeks from me and we’re both good about sharing, which helps!
ETA that their customer service rep was terrific to deal with (albeit too late in the game when I wanted to know what was happening) and offered 25% off of my next box, which I appreciate. I do love a company that empowers their employees that way.
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Though I initiated this thread, I considered it inappropriate to post one’s own discount link. It’s like promoting one’s own business. I noted that anyone who wanted a code could email or messenger me on FB.
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I like staring at the vegetables . Looking for color and ripeness. They scream pick me pick me . I like making the choice. This csa would never work for me . Heck I even do this with canned beans . I know .
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I’m giving MM another try. 
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B.C. (Before Covid) these produce shipments made no sense for us, because I cooked only one or two meals a week. Now I’m thinking they might be worth a try. Or are we going into the season of root vegetables? How does their winter assortment compare to summer?
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