The 7 Best Fresh Produce Delivery Services
You are not alone. You are not the only one feeling completely overwhelmed by having to stock your fridge with enough food to feed your hungry family every meal of every day during the coronavirus quarantine. Your stress isn't just due to the fact that you likely have to cook more than normal; you also have to go grocery shopping more frequently. Grocery shopping is even more of a pain than usual during COVID-19 due to all the precautions stores have to take to maintain social distancing guidelines. You have to wait in line outside the store to even get in, there are limits on how much meat you can buy, and you can only browse the aisles one way.
It just gets to the point where it's more of a hassle to go to the grocery store than to deal with your family's complaints of eating pasta another night in a row.
So why not let your grocery store come to you? We're not talking about ordering through grocery apps or websites (more often than not those tend to be out of stock of the foods you need). We're talking about produce delivery subscription boxes.
Not only are these produce boxes convenient in that they're delivered directly to your home on a regular basis, but they also do all the decision work for you by curating each weekly box based on what produce is available. (And we can all agree that the grocery list decisions can be more exhausting than the actual shopping.)
So take an indefinite break from ordering or picking up fruits and veggies, and let these produce delivery services handle it. They're affordable, convenient, and come with the healthiest, in-season produce you can find. (The selection is probably better than what you'll find in stores!) Once you order a box, make sure you make the best of your bounty with these 30 Simple Tricks to Make Your Produce Last Longer.
Imperfect Foods
Imperfect Foods is an online grocer with a mission to create a more sustainable and effective food system. The company sources imperfect produce—fruits and vegetables that have cosmetic imperfections—and surplus food directly from farmers, growers and food purveyors, and delivers these goods directly to customers' doors through a customizable subscription service that is often 30 percent less than what you pay at the grocery store.
"They have a wide variety of produce that may not be Instagram-worthy by the classic definition, but they taste just as good. If you are going to be chopping up that red pepper, who cares if it looks a little lopsided? It still has the same taste and nutrients," says registered dietitian nutritionist, Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, CPT, the author of Fueling Male Fertility: Nutrition and Lifestyle Guidance for Men Trying to Conceive and owner of Nutrition Now Counseling,
This is the perfect fresh produce subscription box if you're also looking for a one-stop-shop for groceries. Imperfect Foods boxes also offer 200 shelf-stable grocery items like lentils, dairy, proteins, quinoa, olive oil, and bread.
Prices start at $16 for a regular box and $24 for an organic box.
Misfit Market
Similar to Imperfect Foods, Misfit Market also sources reject or ugly fruits and vegetables to deliver to your door at prices that are 40 percent less than grocery store prices. All produce is organic and each box is intended to serve you for a week! They may be misfits, but they are still nutritious!
Prices start at $22 and go up depending on which size box you order.
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Farmbox
"This box ships the most gorgeous produce, and they take great care in their packaging," Manaker tells us. "The more 'sensitive' produce like kiwi and pears are individually wrapped to ensure no bruising during shipment." You can trust that a company that takes such good of its fruits and veggies will take care of you! You can choose from an organic box or an all-natural box. Farmbox Direct changes its "menu" each week. Although the menu is preset (meaning you can't change exactly what comes in the box), you do have to option to pick whether you want fruits, veggies, or a combo. Sizes come in small, medium, and large. By the way, 40 Nutrition Experts Told Us The Foods You Should Be Eating Every Day, and — spoiler alert — most of them can be found in this farm box.
Prices start at $43 for a small natural box and $47.95 for a small organic box.
Tropical Fruit Box
This box focuses on produce and roots (like ginger) that come from more tropical areas of the world like Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. "It is a great option when you can't make it to the islands, at least bring the fruit to you! It is a fun way to try new fruits that are not your typical apples and bananas," says Manaker. Buy a preselected tropical fruit box or build your own to cater to your diet needs.
The Fruit Guys
The Fruit Guys source produce that is harvested from small, independent, and family-run farms near their regional hubs. The company's standards are incredibly high: "We visit the farms to meet with our farmers, and taste and quality check everything we buy." You can choose from fruit-only boxes as well as fruit and veggie boxes and even healthy snack boxes.
Prices for a basic box of organic fruits and veggies range from $44 to $67 depending on the size.
Absurd Organics
Absurd Organics brings the farmers market to you. The company sells fruit and veggie supply kits that it sources directly from markets and farms. While you don't have the option to customize each box, Absurd Organics does offer an incredibly versatile selection of boxes, from veggie kits to gift baskets and picnics. It also offers awesome add-ons like honey, chocolate, and even seeds so you can plant your own herbs and fruit at home!
Prices start at $50.99 for premium food parcels and go up depending on selection.
The Fruit Company
The Fruit Company offers a variety of monthly subscription boxes including "organic," "Americana" (fruits like blueberries, apples, and cherries), and "exotica" (like papaya, kiwi, and starfruit). You can choose from 3, 6, or 12-month subscriptions and all products are hand-picked in an orchard in Oregon. If you do need to go to the store to purchase your produce, we made it easy for you to do so in a quick and safe manner by putting together a guide of 40 Genius Tricks for Getting In-and-Out of the Grocery Store Faster.
