“A crop of fresh food, delivered to your doorstep.”
It’s hard to resist the convenient lure of delivery, as 2020 made clear. While that sometimes comes at the expense of shopping locally, it doesn’t have to. A crop of farm delivery services aims to reduce food waste and make the convenient choice a sustainable one, too. We reached out to the Passerbuys community to see which delivery services keep everyone’s fridges and pantries freshly stocked. So, if you want to experiment with new ingredients, support local farms, or rescue rejected produce, dig in.
Natoora
Recommended by Jasmine Imani, Angie Venezia, and Christina Crawford
Natoora delivers fresh produce, sustainably produced dairy, and charcuterie in New York and New Jersey. The company sources from small independent growers and helps them scale up their production with an eye on sustainability. Their plastic-free deliveries also use minimal packaging.
Local Roots NYC
Recommended by Maria Geyman and camille bertrand
Local Roots offers seasonal subscriptions for weekly harvest deliveries and pick-ups in New York. You can choose your bundle and add on items like cheese, meat, eggs, and honey. Subscriptions also come with weekly recipes.
Farm to People
recommended by shino takeda
Delivering in New York, Farm to People lets you subscribe to a farm box or shop groceries à la carte. You can customize and add on items to your box, and half of every food dollar goes directly to the farmer or maker. They emphasize non-GMO regenerative farming, animal welfare, and organic, seasonal produce and carry everything from plant-based dairy alternatives to sustainable seafood to baked goods from across the city.
more info + use the discount code “passerbuys30” for $30 off of your first order
Misfits Market
Recommended by caitlin mcmullen
Misfits Market—which operates in most states—delivers produce and grocery items that might otherwise go to waste. Early in quarantine, Misfits challenged passerby and fashion designer Caitlin McMullen to cook with what she had. “Now they have customizing, which is nicer because you get what you like,” she tells us.
Fresh Catskills
Recommended by erin allweiss
“I'm obsessed with Fresh Catskills, which (if you're in NYC/BK) delivers straight to your door,” Erin Allweiss tells us. With no freezing, no shipping, and minimal packaging, Fresh Catskills aims to make food distribution more sustainable. “They cull together options from upstate farms, and the offerings are phenomenal,” Erin says.
Imperfect Foods
recommended by natalie pace
Like Misfits Market, Imperfect Foods works to reduce food waste by delivering affordable “unwanted” groceries to many states. They suggest items based on your preferences, but you get to choose your groceries. “Great mission, sustainable and affordable,” Natalie Pace says.
Golden Earthworm Organic Farm
recommended by maura walters
Located on Long Island, Golden Earthworm Organic Farm has been practicing sustainable and regenerative farming since 1994, and their CSA program promises “24 hours from our fields to your neighborhood.” “They are amazing,” Maura Walters says. “We always get the freshest veggies, berries, and herbs in our boxes. Cannot say enough good things!”
Mayday LA
recommended by beverly nguyen
Beverly recommends Mayday LA for seafood pickup and delivery. Responsibly sourced offerings include shellfish, squid, sea urchin, whole fish, and filets, plus sustainably raised meat and poultry and smoked, cured, and tinned options.
Allora Farm & Flowers
recommended by maria geyman
Allora Farm & Flowers delivers the best of the Hudson Valley to NYC, Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess County with their Wild Box. Rotating ingredients include edible flower bouquets, greens, mushrooms, cocktail fixings, herbal teas, and unique condiments. Allora also sends recipes and suggestions for using the ingredients.
Other recommendations include Early Bird Cookery (recommended by Molly Surno) and Chef Collective (recommended by Angie Venezia).
Words by Quinn Kelley