If you read Real Life of a MSW regularly, you know I love my farmer’s market. So, why the hell would I sign up for a delivery service called Imperfect Produce? “A food delivery service that brings boxes of ‘ugly’ fruits and veggies to your doorstep at up to 30-to-50 percent off grocery store prices (I did the math with my farmer’s market, and the latter won).”

In short, Abby told me about it and it sounded like such a wonderful idea. My thought was I would sign up for a biweekly box, as it would fill in the grocery shopping gaps. The long of the short- it didn’t work out that way. I ended my subscription after only three boxes. It truly was an “It’s not you, it’s me” situation. I enjoy going to my local produce stand. It’s calming and fun. I get to touch, smell, and sample all the wonderful perfect and imperfect produce. You just can’t get that online (although signing up was easy, the customer service was amazing, and the company does a good job of laying out the buying options). Customers can pick from different sized boxes: small, medium, large, extra-large. You can then further specify an organic, mixed, all fruit, or all veggie box. (Real life disclaimer: I did notice some bait and switch between my few orders. I also received some rotten produce. They happily credited me.)

Prices are based on a per-pound rate that varies slightly each week but stays within a tight range. They do charge a $5 deliver fee, but it is flawless, day of deliveries. I received a text message from Imperfect Produce notifying me that the driver was nearby, with a link that let me track my produce. This is nice, but I travel by my produce stand almost daily and I would just rather put that $5 toward groceries- you see it’s me, it’s not them. They are delivering more and more to metropolitan cities, and this can help combat food deserts across the country. The social worker in me also wondered if low income families could apply for such a service. It turns out if the family meets the income qualifications for food stamps; they can get a discounted price on the weekly box, which makes the company a wonderful ally in the food deserts fight. Even if your family doesn’t qualify, you can help by donating $5 to a family in need (which is amazing). So, although I closed my membership, I will share this company name with clients as I believe we should all eat healthfully. I will also be sharing some of the meals I created from some of the produce I received in the up and coming months.