Jessica Booth
Want fresh produce without a trip to the grocery store? These produce boxes bring fresh fruits and veggies right to your door.
Going to the grocery store has never been quite as stressful as it is right now. During this pandemic, food shopping is one of the only times many of us leave the house and see other people, which can cause anxiety.
Because of that, we’re all limiting our trips to the store. Many people go once a week or every other week. Those who can’t go out are relying on delivery services with long wait times.
All of this means purchasing produce is unusually difficult right now. You might be able to stock up on pantry essentials if you go food shopping every two weeks, but you can’t stock up on produce like that. Most fresh fruits and veggies go bad after about a week. On top of that, many grocery stores have lower stock than usual, so the items you want might not even be available.
If you like to have a lot of produce in your fridge, though, you do have another option. Produce boxes deliver fresh fruits and veggies to your door—no human contact required.
Here are a few of the best ones out there.
Misfits Market
Misfits Market is a great way to stock up on produce while also feeling like you’re doing some good for the environment. The service sends boxes of imperfect produce—like apples that are a bit bruised or vegetables that grew in a funny shape—to each subscriber.
These are basically the ugly ducklings of the fruit and vegetable world. While they’re perfectly safe to eat, many grocery stores won’t take them because they look a bit “off.” Misfits Market collects them from farms, and then sends them in its boxes to prevent unnecessary food waste.
The upside is you get delicious produce, but the downside is you don’t know what you’re getting until your box arrives.
Misfits Market is $22 for a small box of about 10 to 13 pounds of produce, or $35 for about 18 to 22 pounds.
The Fruit Guys
This family-owned-and-operated business is a B-corp that brings farm-fresh fruit to your home and gives back to communities, as well. The company works with a network of over 200 small farms to get organic and conventional fruit to buyers.
It also has distribution hubs all over the country, which allows it to source seasonal fruit and heirloom varieties, depending on where you live. This means not only do you get the freshest options, but at reduced shipping costs and climate impact.
The Fruit Guys offer boxes in various sizes with a mix of fruits. They also have a produce box that sends fruits and veggies, and healthy snack boxes. Unfortunately, you can’t customize your box.
Boxes range from $30 to $219, depending on which you choose. You can subscribe here.
Perfectly Imperfect Produce
Perfectly Imperfect Produce is basically the same as Misfits Market. It sends fresh produce that looks imperfect but still tastes delicious. This reduces food waste, while giving you healthy foods to eat.
The company sources produce from small farms and wholesalers, packages it up, and sends it out. As a bonus, they donate to a local food pantry for every box that’s purchased, so you can really feel good about subscribing.
There are a few different box options. You can choose mixed fruits and veggies, all fruit, all veggie, or all organic. Each category comes in small to large sizes to meet individual needs. You can also choose to add an extra donation box, if you’d like.
Boxes cost between $14 and $40, depending on the size and kind you choose. You can subscribe here.
Farmbox Direct
Farmbox Direct is a great option for someone who wants to know exactly what she’s getting in her produce box. At the beginning of each week, the company sends out an email letting you know what is being harvested by their farmers for the upcoming Farmbox.
You then log in to your account, where you can customize your box by choosing up to five substitutions. You can even add Artisanal and other grocery items. You can also choose to skip that week if you’d like.
This one offers a few different box options, including all fruit, all veggies, a mix, and all organic. You can also order them in sizes from small to large. If you’re into fresh juice, they also have three juicing boxes (Green, Orange, and Red) that include everything you need to make the perfect glass of fresh juice.
Prices for Farmbox Direct range from $43.95 to $68.95, depending on which box you choose. You can subscribe here.
Farm Fresh to You
Farm Fresh to You is another subscription box service that allows you to have more customization and control over the box you get. You can easily swap out produce, or change the size or type of box you’re getting whenever you want. You can also skip weeks when necessary.
The company also offers different boxes to suit basically every need. You can get a fruit and veggie mix, fruit only, veggie only, or a snack pack filled with healthy fruit. There’s also a no-cooking box full of produce perfect for snacking, and the traditional Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box full of seasonal local produce.
Prices range from $27.50 to $118, depending on which box and size you select. You can subscribe here.
Imperfect Foods
Imperfect Foods is yet another subscription box that sells “ugly” produce in boxes. But Imperfect Foods doesn’t just focus on fruits and veggies. They also have scarred nuts, colored grains, off-sized eggs, surplus coffee, and other foods. Again, everything is totally safe to eat. It’s just not aesthetically pleasing enough to meet grocery-store standards, so this helps cut down unnecessary food waste.
Even better, you can customize everything in your box. When your shopping window opens, you can view the items they’ve selected, and then keep what you like and remove what you don’t. You can also add other staples and items you love.
Imperfect Foods offers a few different box options. You can answer a few questions to find out which box the company would suggest for you. That might be a mixed, produce, or grain box, or a meat and fish pack.
Subscriptions start at $30 and go up from there, depending on which option you choose. You can sign up here.
Hungry Harvest
Hungry Harvest is another produce subscription box on a mission to reduce food waste. It rescues produce that can’t be sold by grocery stores, curates variety boxes, and delivers them. Each delivery helps eliminate at least 10 pounds of food from going to waste.
There are three types of boxes here to keep things simple: Mini Harvest, Full Harvest, and Super Harvest. Each one includes a mix of fruits and veggies. The Mini has the smallest amount and the Super has the most. You can customize your boxes and add other items or grocery staples, if you want.
Prices range from $15 to $50, depending on which size you choose. As of this writing, the service isn’t accepting new subscribers, but keep checking back.
Edible Arrangements
You probably know about Edible Arrangements’ delivery boxes of chocolate-covered fruit. The company recently started selling produce boxes, as well. Every box is different, and, unfortunately, you don’t know what you’re getting, and you can’t customize it. You also can’t subscribe; you purchase these one at a time.
However, box options include fruit, fruit and vegetable, or fruits with veggies and dessert, which is the best of all. You get produce and chocolate!
Boxes start at $24.99, and you can check them out here.
White Picket Produce
If all-organic is important to you, check out White Picket Produce. It has only organic options, all made without harmful chemicals and pesticides. The company’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to eat all organic. You can sign up online, select the produce box you want, customize your schedule and menu, and then just wait for it to be delivered.
There are a bunch of options, too. The Make Your Own box is popular as it’s totally customizable. There’s also a standard (a mix of produce), all veggie, all fruit, keto, or juicing box.
Prices start at $5 and go up, depending on what you want to order. You can sign up here.
A Local Farm
Many of the above produce boxes will deliver to most parts of the country (although, you have to check—they don’t all deliver everywhere). If you prefer something more local, do some research and see if any nearby farms are offering produce boxes. One near me is, so I’ll be getting my produce box this week!
This is a great way to support small, local farms and businesses, and get fresh fruits and veggies that are locally seasonal.
Whether you choose a subscription model or order from a local farmer’s market that delivers, there are plenty of ways to get fresh fruits and vegetables delivered right to your door.
