Organic/health food grocery stores in NE PA. (Easton, Stroudsburg: coupons, buying)

[Catlover84]

Not that it's a major factor, but with us considering a future move to Stroudsburg, I'm wondering how many organic/health food grocery stores there are within maybe 10-15 miles from that area. I found there's a store called Earthlight, but is it a big store, or just a little hole in the wall with not much selection? It would be a big change from where I am in Nassau county, LI outside of Queens where everything is so close. If there aren't any besides that one, do the regular grocery stores have a decent selection of organic brands?

[Catlover84]

Also, what about ethnic type stores? We like to cook indian, jamaican, asian, etc, and wondering how difficult it might finding ingredients in that type of cooking that you normally don't find in big box grocery stores.

[F.Jenco]

As far as grocery stores my local Giant has some health food, basically an aisle of health food. Well they also have some organic food throughout the store, like spinach, apples and in the regular frozen food section in addition to the health food aisle. I know there's a Giant near Stroudsburg. Wegman's may have a bigger selection but the nearest one is probably near Easton, like 25 miles from Stroudsburg.

[Gettingouttahere]

LOL. You were expecting a choice?
As we are trying to tell you in your other thread, you need to lower your expectations.
There is ONE organic/natural grocery "store" in the Poconos, Earthlight. It has two, maybe a third location. It is a tiny, tiny store, not at all like a grocery store that you are probably thinking. It has a very limited selection of fresh foods, but it does have a decent selection of bulk products like grains, etc.
Ethnic store: there is a halal butcher shop or two. I think there are a couple of storefront delis in Stroudsburg that may have some ethnic products.

But you are going to be driving for quite a distance to find anything like what you are probably used to. There is no Whole Foods and no Trader Joes anywhere in the Poconos.

ETA - the organic selection in the grocery stores (and you have Giant, Weis and ShopRite, with a recent addition of a Price Chopper, to choose from) is not good at all.
We join an organic CSA in the years we can afford it -- we get lots of good fresh organic produce in season, but the drive is -- you guessed it -- long. And the CSA is in New Jersey. Not here. In much of the Poconos, the soil is basically glacial till, which means large boulders and smaller rocks, interspersed with decomposed leaves. You will likely only be able to garden here using raised beds. Which means trucking in the dirt, since, like I said, there isn't any.

[CarbonCountyLiving]

If you're going to be in Stroudsburg, you can always drive down to the Wegmans in Palmer off 33. I find their organic selection to be more extensive than Giant or Weis, and the Giants in that area are a nightmare.

It's about a half hour drive or so, but if you're living in Stroudsburg you'll be driving everywhere anyway sooo...

Oh and Earthlight... is that the one near Bartonsville? It's not bad but it's more geared toward people buying natural remedies and soaps and stuff. There's some organic food to be had but it's not an extensive selection.

[karen_s]

CarbonCounty, I think she means the "big" EarthLight store up in the former Ann St. outlet complex in Stroudsburg, that one is much larger than Brodheadsville. For around here, that is about as large as you get in the natural/organic marketplace. There is a small store in Wind Gap as well (Taste of Nature) that has some fabulous homemade organic and vegetarian deli type selections and great smoothies too, but again it is not a huge store, just very well-stocked for its size. I have found that both offer exceptional customer service and assistance as well.

There are also many local farms within a short drive of Stroudsburg that offer fresh produce/CSAs, etc. My brother was a member here: Home - Josie Porter Farm
There are ethnic-type stores tucked all around too - Of course it is not LI but there is much more offered here now than in the past, I think you will like it.

[ecoscape]

Earthlight is small comparing to major supermarkets but it has very good selection, they also have local meats, produce, dairy and breads. If you want smoothie or healthy lunch there's Quench which is juice bar right on 6th Street in Stroudsburg. It would be nice to have Wegmans closer because Weise is not that good.
Earthlight Natural Foods
Quench - All made fresh with local stuff!

[Catlover84]

Well, I like the fact that there are local farms to go to there. We don't really have that here. The few choices we have are sporadic and an hour away. I hear about all the hype of Wegmans, but have never been there.

[Gettingouttahere]

Wegmans is great. Expensive, but it has some decent loss leader deals, and it takes/doubles coupons (up to $1). You can spend a ton of money there on premade foods, however.

If you are moving to either of the Stroudsburgs, you are a half-hour minimum away, however, so you will likely have to do what we do in the summer when we go to a grocery store: bring a cooler packed with ice, just to keep frozen stuff until we get home.

[Catlover84]

This answers my question, thanks everyone.