Rescuing Produce with Hungry Harvest

On a scale of 1-10, I think we all agree that rescuing dogs gets a 10 for nobility, compassion and straight-up coolness. Am I right? Well, what about rescuing produce?! I happen to think it deserves the same amount of reverence. After all, food waste in America is a BIG issue. When I say waste, I mean like, literally, billions of pounds of food ends up in landfills every year. Am I the only one who thinks that sounds crazy?

You know what else is a BIG issue in America? Hunger. How can that be? While on one hand, we have such an abundance of food it’s actually going to waste, on the other we have people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Hard to believe, isn’t it?

Well, what if there was a way to put this food to good use, helping to reduce both waste and hunger? I recently learned of a service launching in Detroit designed to do just that – Hungry Harvest.

I have to admit, I don’t consider myself much of a subscription-food-delivery person. Main reason being that I find myself at a minimum of three grocery stores a week. But, when they reached out to me about trying their services when they launch in Metro Detroit I was really interested in supporting such a great cause.

So, I signed up. Full disclosure, I did get a credit for my first two boxes, but all opinions expressed here are my own. Let me tell you what I’ve loved about my few deliveries so far.

1. Groceries Delivered!
2. • I know I’m late to the party, but good grief it really is so convenient to have things delivered right to your door!
3. Easy to Customize!
4. • I love most produce, but..I’m moody. Hungry Harvest gives you a reminder with plenty of time to log in and make changes. My first week, I decided to swap yellow squash for avocados instead.
5. Add Ons!
6. • I really like the option to add on other staples or specialty items, like eggs or cherries, for example. After all, if I don’t have to shop for my veggies then no reason to make a trip to the store for eggs, am I right? I can pretty much survive on produce, eggs and pasta anyway!
7. Organic Options!
8. • Yep, you can choose organic boxes, too!
9. Easy to Skip!
10. • It’s summer, so weekend getaways are my main life goal at the moment. No problem, I can just cancel my box as late as Thursday afternoon.

To be honest, the only downfall I see is missing out on the opportunity to support the famers at my local farmers market. It goes without saying that this time of year is the most exciting time to buy directly from local farmers. But, I also have to admit that the past month has hardly allowed me any time to actually get to the market. So, arriving home to groceries delivered feels like a #SelfCare kind of treat.

Probably the best part of this whole arrangement is that part of the proceeds from subscription sales goes directly to Forgotten Harvest, which is a food rescue service that already operates in Michigan. Forgotten Harvest rescues massive amounts of food and makes sure it gets into the hands of people in need through soup kitchens and food pantries. Remember that piece I mentioned above about helping the hunger issue? Yeah, that’s how.

So, basically, I pay for my box of groceries each week, saving all that perfectly wonderful produce from getting dumped in a landfill. Win #1! Then, part of the sale from my weekly order goes to Forgotten Harvest so they can do what they do and help solve the problem of people and families going hungry in my local area. Win #2!

If you like winning, learn more about Hungry Harvest and their current delivery zones here! Also, I’m super excited to share an introductory promo code for my readers! If you are a new customer and are interested in signing up for delicious produce delivery and join the company’s mission you can use code HEALTHYMI for $5 off your first box!

SO, WHAT’S COOKING?

Boxes like this are sort of like a mystery box cooking challenge. But I’m up for it, and inspiration comes quickly when I see all the fresh veggies. The first week, I was inspired first by the cauliflower. More specifically, cravings kicked in almost immediately for fried cauliflower. Experimentation ensued, and I’m currently finalizing a new recipe for Cauliflower Poppers, so stay tuned for that.

When I got the second box, I had two HUGE zucchini in the mix. I knew immediately I wanted to make my recipe for Carrot and Zucchini Fritters. I originally posted this recipe on my Guest Chef website about a year ago, but I repurposed it for The Craveable Kitchen, pairing it up with the Mango Pepper Sauce recipe I posted here. You don’t have to be a recipe developer to figure out what to do with all your delivery goodies, though. Just check back here often! We’ll put all our rescued produce to good use together! Sound good?