Apart from Ritz crackers and deli meats, boxes of Nature's Burgers and cans of carrot juice sit on shelves in a corner waiting to be purchased by State College's vegetarian population.

"Our vegetarian items sell very well," said Julie Leitch, gourmet buyer for O.W. Houts and Son, 120 N. Buckhout St. "We get a lot of requests for these items and usually have to restock every week."

Local vegetarians do not have many choices when it comes to grocery shopping, said Leena Scholten, owner of The Granary, 2766 W. College Ave.

"Where can vegetarians go grocery shopping in State College? Here," Scholten said.

All grocery stores stock items vegetarians eat, such as pasta, tofu and produce items, Scholten said. But many of her customers tend to cook from scratch and need to buy ingredients at a specialty store, she said.

The Granary stocks everything from grains and beans to meat substitutes. Soy-based products, such as milk, cheese, hot dogs, bologna and bacon, are popular, Scholten said.

Meat substitutes are big sellers, she added. These include tofu, a bland-tasting soy milk cheese; tempeh, a firm soy substance used in chilies and sauces; and seitan, made from the glutinous part of wheat.

These items are best used when mixed with other foods to provide texture and volume, Scholten said.

"They don't taste exactly like meat," she said. "You have to keep an open mind. Seitan, for example, gets camoflauged because it really looks ugly --sort of like brown mud. But it all tastes good."

Some meat products, such as organic chicken, hormone-free beef, nitrate-free hot dogs, eggs and cheese are sold, Scholten said. But the shelves are primarily stocked with products without animal ingredients, she said.

Houts does not specialize in vegetarian and health foods, Leitch said, but the store does have a substantial supply and will stock on request. Vegetarian items include beans, breads, sugarless snacks, vegetable burger and chili mixes and seasoning mixes for tofu.

A vegetarian diet is not excessively expensive, Scholten said. Vegetarians do not have to pay the high price of red meat, and grains and beans are inexpensive purchases, she said.

At the Granary, a pound of tofu costs 99 cents, 8 ounces of tempeh cost $1.59 and 8 ounces of seitan cost $2.79. These quantities can feed a large family, Scholten said, adding that the foods keep well when refrigerated or frozen.

The vegetarian items at Houts are reasonably priced, Leitch said, adding that some items are costly because of ingredients or processing. Vegetable pt, for example, costs $7.29 while liver pt costs $1.79.

"People say that it's expensive, but I look at it as the money I spend on food as the money I don't have to spend on a doctor," Scholten said.

Although she said she does get a lot of student business, Scholten said the bulk of her customers are permanent local residents.

"I don't get the daily walk-in business from students because I'm not downtown," she said. "Some ride bikes or get rides or they can take a bus, but it's more difficult for them to get here."

Leitch said she does see some student business, but middle-aged residents make up the bulk of her customers.

Many people ask for advice on how to cook various foods or what a certain food is used for, Scholten said.

"Generally, people are pleasantly surprised," Scholten said. "They don't know what the heck to expect and then they usually end up coming back for more."

Leitch has not sampled all of the vegetarian items, but said all of the foods are in demand.

Although she is not a complete vegetarian, Scholten said she opened the store to provide higher quality, healthier food than is sold in supermarkets.

"I'm very concerned with the hormones, chemicals and pesticides used in the foods in supermarkets," she said.