Imperfect, Misfit, Etc. (The Food Delivery Services)

[Chris Hennes]

For today's order we decided to see if they would omit the insulated packaging here during the winter, at least for items that really didn't need it. Well... no.

 

That is two tiny bagged salads sitting on an ice pack that weighed more than they did, and all wrapped up in a bubblewrap and mylar pouch that would have been large enough for my entire order and then some. That pouch was just sitting on the bottom, under all of the non-refrigerated items:

 

 

Which included a shallot that was nearly as large as the onions:

[dtremit]

15 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

For today's order we decided to see if they would omit the insulated packaging here during the winter, at least for items that really didn't need it. Well... no.

 

Maybe it's regional or weather dependent, but our last few orders have just had the ice pack in a heavy paper bag, instead of the foil bubble wrap.

 

The switch happened after a neighbor started collecting them for a local homeless shelter, of course.

[weinoo]

9 hours ago, Chris Hennes said:

Great idea, so I stole it: I made Julia's potato leek soup for dinner last night. Thanks!

 

It's such a great soup, and perhaps the simplest soup to make. Other than that old classic - stone soup.

 

9 hours ago, Chris Hennes said:

For today's order we decided to see if they would omit the insulated packaging here during the winter, at least for items that really didn't need it. Well... no.

 

That is two tiny bagged salads sitting on an ice pack that weighed more than they did, and all wrapped up in a bubblewrap and mylar pouch that would have been large enough for my entire order and then some. That pouch was just sitting on the bottom, under all of the non-refrigerated items:

 

Amazing, right? They're far from the only company not engaging in minimizing shipping costs; like even when I implore upon Amazon I can wait and to ship everything at one time, I'll often get 4 different packages shipped to me from the same order. Four shipping boxes or envelopes and four full shipping costs.

 

It's obviously at the bottom of their lists.

 

9 hours ago, Chris Hennes said:

Which included a shallot that was nearly as large as the onions:

 

The giant jalapeño's cousin.  I too get these monster-sized shallots (like 4 or 5 to a pound), which appear to be grown in the US. We grow 'em bigger here!!

 

On the (now rare) occasion when I can find shallots from France, they're the "normal" sized ones we were used to seeing back in the day.

Edited February 2, 2021 by weinoo (log)

[Anna N]

55 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I too get these monster-sized shallots (like 4 or 5 to a pound),

Are they just a different variety? I know them as banana shallots. 

Edited February 2, 2021 by Anna N (log)

[weinoo]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

Are they just a different variety? I know them as banana shallots. 

 

You're probably right!  So many varieties of shallots...http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/main/showVarieties.php?searchCriteria=shallot&searchIn=1&crop_id=0&sortBy=overallrating&order=DESC

 

Banana shallot...https://www.cooksinfo.com/banana-shallots

[gfweb]

My first load from Misfit. 2 days late because of the storm. A few potatoes are too small to be useful, "baby broccoli" looks like broccolini (which is better). Pretty good stuff.

 

[rotuts]

@gfweb 

 

no such thing as a potato to be too small to  be usefull

 

pls don't tell me you still peal them ?

 

decent  light ' wash '

 

you are ready o do

 

Potato skin /  tasty Id sat

 

BW

 

I have tear same Phone

 

Panasonic ?

 

See ?

[dtremit]

20 minutes ago, gfweb said:

"baby broccoli" looks like broccolini (which is better).

 

Are they different? I've always seen those names used interchangeably.

[heidih]

9 minutes ago, dtremit said:

 

Are they different? I've always seen those names used interchangeably.

When broccoli is a "baby" it looks like a mini version of its adult self. The other one is a hybrid /cross with a different growth habit and taste. However, since true baby broccoli is rarely for sale the terms are used interchangeably by many for the latter. I hav grown both and like them in different ways.

[gfweb]

8 minutes ago, heidih said:

When broccoli is a "baby" it looks like a mini version of its adult self. The other one is a hybrid /cross with a different growth habit and taste. However, since true baby broccoli is rarely for sale the terms are used interchangeably by many for the latter. I hav grown both and like them in different ways.

 

Yes.

Broccolini is a hybrid of an asian plant and broccoli.

[gfweb]

44 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@gfweb 

 

no such thing as a potato to be too small to  be usefull

 

pls don't tell me you still peal them ?

 

decent  light ' wash '

 

you are ready o do

 

Potato skin /  tasty Id sat

 

BW

 

I have tear same Phone

 

Panasonic ?

 

See ?

 

Yup, panasonic. Good phone.

 

Of course I peel them.  Sometimes I tourne them, because as was established the other day, I'm a classy guy.

 

 

[rotuts]

loosing So much nutrition

 

esp. these days.

[dtremit]

8 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 

Yes.

Broccolini is a hybrid of an asian plant and broccoli.

 

Right, sorry. To be clearer — I've never seen "baby broccoli" used to describe anything but broccolini.

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, dtremit said:

 

Right, sorry. To be clearer — I've never seen "baby broccoli" used to describe anything but broccolini.

Me neither. I’m sure there is such a thing as young broccoli but I have never seen it in stores or even farmers’ markets. Somehow I don’t think that young broccoli would have an appearance similar to broccolini. 

[blue_dolphin]

On 1/29/2021 at 1:41 PM, Shelby said:

They subbed 2 celery roots--IDEAS needed there..I know, I know, google is my friend, but I'd love ideas from you guys

 

Not sure if your celery roots are still kicking around (I thought they looked fine) but this recipe, Celeriac steaks with Café de Paris sauce (scroll down) from Ottolenghi's new book, Flavor, got a lot of kudos in a cooking group I follow. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

In the US broccolini is a trademark of Mann Packing.  So if you want to sell broccolini you better call it something else.

 

[Shelby]

I continue to be very very grateful to be able to get delivery.  It's kept me out of the store a LOT more.  I'm low on milk, but I have some frozen so it's allll good  

 

Imperfect  today:

 

 

 

Like @Smithywas saying on her princess mobile thread that she had no idea her husband liked cauliflower so much....I had no idea that Ronnie likes leeks so much.  So I bought more.  He wants soup.  He also loves lamb...which isn't my favorite, but I saw this and decided to get it to make lamb stew.  It's going to be bitterly cold here starting today.  Highs of 12F lows below zero.  

[Chris Hennes]

It's cold here today (I mean, by Oklahoma standards... it's actually below freezing at the moment), but the refrigeration-required stuff still came in that mylar pubble pouch. Bummer. On the plus side, since I suspected that might be the case I took the opportunity to buy a bunch of refrigerated stuff, on the theory that I won't do it again for a while. So today's haul is a little unusual for me:

 

 

Some mahi mahi, some chicken thighs, a package of Impossible, a couple of bagged salads, and some sort of bowl thing that you heat up (lunch for my wife, I presume). I don't know how I ended up with tomatoes (I would never order those), so I'll have to check my order to see if I accidentally left them on there, or what.

 

The only really imperfect thing is this squash:

 

I don't know if it was dropped, or had a run-in with someone's boot, or what, but I basically just discarded the top half (and changed dinner plans for tonight to use up the other half!). I also got a couple of other unusual-for-me items:

 

I don't know what the heck "Purple Prairie Barley" is, but it's a grain: I can put it in bread, anyway.

[mgaretz]

20 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

The only really imperfect thing is this squash:

 

They have been very good about crediting me for damaged (and underweight) items.  Just drop them a note.

[gfweb]

Your Imperfect food looks way better than my Misfits stuff.

 

Second box had 4 potatoes smaller than a ping pong ball, wilted lettuce, rutabaga, turnip, two good yellow onions, the rattiest beets I have ever seen, green onion, 2 apples, 2 lemons, nice small cauliflower, spag squash, 2 oranges, cherry tomatoes.

 

So half of it will get tossed because of quality or uselessness.

 

I unsubscribed.

 

Maybe  I'll give Imperfect a try.

[kayb]

I was moderately pleased with my Misfits box, except for the two VERY petite sweet potatoes. One was perhaps four inches long. The other was smaller.

[weinoo]

I really think Imperfect is more perfect that Misfits.

[Maison Rustique]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

I really think Imperfect is more perfect that Misfits.

 

Completely agree. I finalize my Imperfect order today for delivery Thursday/Friday. We have dreadful weather here in KC area so I am being mindful of that and not ordering anything that will suffer from freezing. I am learning that you have to keep weather in mind when you order.

 

I have been getting Facebook ads for marketwagon.com and think I am going to give them a try in the next week or so. I really like the local provider aspect. I also have a milkman from a local dairy and can get some produce and meats through them. https://shattohomedelivery.com/ 

 

It is wonderful to have all these choices during the pandemic and bad weather.

[dtremit]

On 2/8/2021 at 6:00 PM, Chris Hennes said:

I don't know what the heck "Purple Prairie Barley" is, but it's a grain: I can put it in bread, anyway.

 

Whatever it is, it's quite tasty. Nuttier than regular barley, I think. We have really enjoyed it as a substitute for rice.

[Shelby]

Well, I'm mad at myself.  After looking through what was available at Imperfect I had decided to skip this week because I'm getting Misfits.  Then I waffled back and forth....then it hit me that it's Valentine's Day this weekend and I wanted some berries.  Also, I really wanted more lamb so I got to work filling my cart.  Got everything up to the amount of money I am supposed to spend, went back to get the lamb...SOLD OUT  .  Lesson:  just order the dang food when your window first opens lol.