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Whole Earth Center
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
12 reviews for Whole Earth Center
As others have mentioned, this place is pricey. However, they deliver time and time again.
Their nut loaf with mushroom gravy is ridiculous - so good; as well as their edemame salad with soba noodles. Their soups are filling and feature nice fresh seasonal veggies.
I recommend taking a look at their spice aisle. It is comprehensive, and neat.
They have enough here to feed an army of vegans or vegetarians.
I know people rave about the bakery. I did try a corn muffin which was dry as can be. But who knows, I always yearn for their ginger cookies which I have had yet to try because of the prices. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt
Now why a five? Because if money allowed, I would eat their food every single day. That good
They are mostly famed for their plethora of decently prepared lunch items (hot & cold) that seem to be popular for the "I want to eat healthier, but I don't have the time to cook myself" set. But as a health food store, I find them to be a huge fail. It used to be that they were $1 higher on $5 items, but now they are up to $1 higher on $2 items: not acceptable in my book.
Add that to often finding expired items on the shelves and in the refrigerated section, as well as consistently being given an attitude when using coupons; this place is not for me.
4.5?? I'm a huuuge fan, I swear! The only thing that keeps this from getting a 5 is the prices. But hey, it's Princeton, and I guess I have to deal.
Anyway, I love this place to pieces! They have a great wholesome selection of products, mostly organic, lots of healthy and awesome stuff - think Whole Foods or Trader Joe's but with even more of the tradtional local grocery vibe.
I usually skip out on the pre-packaged stuff as I can get it cheaper elsewhere, but I am all over their deli and bakery! Their eggplant spread, curried sweet potato soup, and vegan coconut orbs are to die for, not to mention they have a heavenly selection of healthy delectable baked goods including their amazing vegan cookies and muffins. Ahhh, I just want to buy out their entire stock of store-made goodness every time I go.
Oh oh and I almost forgot, they have an incredible lineup of bulk bins from nuts and grains to herbs and spices,, dried fruit, nut butters, cereals, everything that you could possibly imagine buying in bulk. They also have a nifty peanut butter maker that turns peanuts into pb before your eyes! Don't forget to bring your own bottle!
Love this little place. It's a manageable supemarket without the weird vibe of many health food stores. Full of just plain good stuff. They stock a lot of local meat, dairy, and produce and point it out. A must-stop for locavores.
I like shopping here! Great bread, great bulk section (I can bring my own containers), excellent produce selection! I prefer shopping here than at McCaffreys. I just wish the prices were better on some things like canned goods.
Don't take me wrong. I love organic produce and belong to the largest CSA in the country but there is something wrong at this place. I can't figure it out. Is it organic produce that makes people look like they are about to pass away, or they start shopping organic on the way out? There was a green looking fellow with a shopping cart full of lettuce. I asked cashier if this dude is buying supplies for his organic restaurant. Cashier replied: "No. He makes juice out of lettuce." I think I am getting organic store phobia.
Best choice of local organic produce!
I've been here 3x, and it's pretty good for a local organic market.
I loved the bulk herb and spice selection but was a little surprised at paying $1.50 for an organic apple from New Zealand.
The natural health/beauty department is large but has the same arrangement problem a lot of health food places have--organising by brand instead of item (comparing sunblocks took awhile as they were in at least 4 aisles). I was also happy to find that they carried Kiss My Face shave cream, which I had not been able to find anywhere locally but Whole Foods.
Friendly (but not annoying) and helpful staff.
I'm really looking forward to getting a lot of the local cheeses to test and am very glad that they're within walking distance.
Update 2/28/09:
My husband convinced me that soapnuts do not make good dishwashing liquid. Here, you can refill your own container with dish soap which is biodegradable and doesn't hurt the environment. Even better. We have so many containers that it's great to be able to simply reuse them until they really do die, which, as we all know, may take awhile. At that point, we can recycle the containers.
FYI: They now have the Kleen Kanteen baby bottles in stock again. I tried to get them ordered late January (2 baby showers), but no go. But they have them again. $15 set (including the sippy caps). Finally! Thank you!
Also, Honeybee Gardens lipsticks are 30% off now, as they're clearing them out.
They do stock goat butter, which is great for anyone like me, who can't have cow butter but needs a butter for pate.
Update - 5/14/2009
We've been getting better at reusing containers, and after purchasing fish from Shrimp King, I decided on blackened catfish. We were low on granulated cayenne and black pepper, so stopped here.
Needless to say, using the quantities I'm used to with the mild (old?) versions of ground spices, we were shocked. The hot cayenne and ground black peppers were HOT (both organic). So much so that the blackened catfish from the hibachi was almost inedible and we had to rinse the cold cooked fish from the refrigerator before packing it for lunches; even with a healthy dose of mayo it was too spicy. And I'm a fan of habaneros.
So this basically is a review of their hot cayenne and ground black pepper from the bulk bins. It's fresh, hot (capsicum hot), and should be used sparingly. It's great to learn that what we bought will last us awhile as we will have to use it gently. The flavour is great, but it's way too hot even for me. The fact that they also credit you $.05 for reusing your own containers and cloth bags? Even better.
They also have bags of Dulse (pulverized ground seaweed), so if you get a bag of miso (I can't believe I'm almost finishing one--in the past, most barely used bags were donated to other friends as it would sit in the fridge for a year or so, sealed with anything from clothespins to butterfly clips from work), a jar of Better than Bouillon, and keep a 4oz container of Dulse mixed with cayenne in your drawer at work, can have miso with hot filtered water from the cooler at work whenever you want.
Update 10/27: this place has grown on me. I'll admit that a lot of the workers here are rude and/or look like some of the original (read grumpy and emaciated) employees at Whole Foods 10 years ago, but they have a lot of slightly better for you junk and aren't WF or TJs, and are within biking distance of my home. That, and I can get inspired by the .69 bin when I feel like being cheap.
Every time I come here, I discover something new. Bulk gourmet ingredients are relatively inexpensive especially if you bring your own containers which they will give you a 10 cent credit for.
Kalustians out, Whole Earth in.
...let's just pretend that I don't hate Kalustian's and am pro spice corner (just for a minute)..
I had to pick up market samples of erithrytol and some evap cane juice and was just so pleased at the array of fresh, local veg's, spices and fruits. The space is reminiscent of mrs. herbs in denville with the layout but having less emphasis on health care and more on produce and unique organic products.
They have ground up arrow root and perhaps because Im not vegan, nor into the craft I was floored at the urn style array of freshly ground spices by the gram. This is so much better than going to an asian market or an indian market to pick up dried spices (who needs five lbs of turmeric.....not me......vote for whole earth) v
Whole Earth is the original health food store in the Princeton area. They've been around since the '70s. Despite the opening of other, larger health food stores in the region (Wild Oats and Whole Foods), they still seem to do a brisk business.
Other than getting it straight from the farm, the produce is the freshest, most beautiful you will find in the area (I get really excited about veggies). It's all organic and mostly local. I also love the bulk food aisle. The deli and bakery are great too. I like to occasionally grab lunch here.
They're expanding the shop into what was once a flower store. Once the expansion is done, they will have a store front on Nassau Street.
Indulging in high-quality organic food has always been one of the few luxury habits I can rationalize, and Whole Earth Center is my uncontested source for eco-friendly gourmandisme of late. The aisles are stocked with oodles of whole-grain delights, the produce section abounds in fruits and veggies so pretty I can't believe they're pesticide-free, and the freezer section even has tiny cartons of gelato in flavors like Vanilla Sea Salt Caramel from Princeton's beloved Bent Spoon. Their extensive health and beauty section would also be great, if I had any qualms about using drugstore products with preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients (I don't). As other reviews can confirm, the spice corner is indeed impressive, and bag-your-own dry food dispensers display an almost incomprehensible array of granolas, cereals, and dried fruits. Prepared foods are available next to a small lunch counter offering yummy sandwiches and decent salads. What's more, the place seems genuinely interested in doing good in the community--today, they were hosting a group from a Trenton-based shelter collecting canned goods, specially priced at a discount for Whole Earth Center patrons willing to donate. Bring your own reusable grocery bags and the staff will give you a smile of approval of such warmth that you can almost forget you spent a little more than truly necessary on a week's groceries. And burned a quarter-gallon of gas to get there and back.
this place kept me in vegan food all through college! in addition to having a big selection of produce and some sundries, it has an AWESOME selection of bulk food and a deli for a vegan lunch! i would go to wild oats down the street for standard stuff (vegetable broth, cereal) and come to whole earth for everything else.
