My days usually start by waking up 10 minutes before I start work, drinking an energy drink, logging into my laptop, then having a headache around 3 p.m. when I realize I haven’t eaten anything (let alone a nutrient thing). Between my ADHD hyperfocus and ADHD’s simultaneous time blindness, I tend to eat like a toddler and accidentally let produce go bad because out of sight is absolutely out of mind. Sometimes I feel like a Sim The Sims 4wandering aimlessly around my house looking for somethingwithout realizing that my needs bars are all flashing red. When I remember to eat, I’m a grazer and might eat deli meats or Adult Lunchables for 90% of my meals. I like containers. I like appetizers. I’m a foodie can’t doesn’t like to think too much about his next meal.
Garden cutting. Gardencup is the answer.
Gardencup is a meal subscription service that sends freshly prepared, individually portioned salads, bowls, soups, produce and snacks to your front door. And I’m a little upset that I tried it because now I don’t think I can stop getting them.
Where were you?
Gardencup is a little different from some other popular meal kit services because you can completely customize your order each week. Choose a six-pack or nine-pack, build your pack (there are vegan and vegetarian options), and choose your shipping frequency. Order totals vary by item. Protein-rich salads cost $12, while snacks and fresh produce cost $6 to $9. You can sign up for the Gardenclub after placing at least five orders to earn a percentage in cash back. You can pause or skip automatic deliveries and easily cancel your shipments in your account settings.
Photography: Louryn Strampe
Each jar is filled to the brim with goodness. Hearty salads are elegantly packaged, with dressings and wet ingredients toward the bottom and fresh vegetables toward the top. Simply shake them when you’re ready to eat and you’ll have a fresh, garnished salad in no time. They are also well packaged: sometimes I had to eat a few bites of stripped spinach in order to have enough room inside the jar to shake it well. Of course, you can also just pour everything into a bowl. For items like Producecups – chopped pineapple or apples with almond butter, carrot and celery sticks with hummus – or spreads like tuna salad, just dig in. (Note that you will need to bring your own crackers.)
The main thing I love about Gardencup is how much easier it makes my life. I’m already thinking about money, doctor appointments, going to the gym, growing my career, maintaining my friendships, my damn emails, the state of the world in general and to the question of whether or not I can wear a cool-toned purple lipstick. (I can’t.) Despite my love for delicious food, the last thing I want to think about is having to eat a damn meal three times a day. Gardencup allows me to spend a little time on autopilot. I reach into my fridge, grab a cup of Something, and eat it knowing that it’s nutritious and ultimately tastes good. Sometimes meals are a little bland: my chicken noodle soup could have benefited from a little black pepper, and I’d add my own dressing to a few salads if I didn’t review them. But this compromise is absolutely no problem for me and my lifestyle. It’s better to have a cup of food and have to add your own dressing than to not have a cup of food at all. And these weeks, eating better more easily and more frequently thanks to Gardencup means cooking or going out to dinner feels more like a luxury than another thing on my to-do list.
Photography: Louryn Strampe