I have to ask, it sounds like you have found a place to purchase Rancho Gordo beans in New York. If so, can you share where? We order pounds and pounds at a time through the website but if there is a local shop, that would be so nice to know.

Anita - thank you! We’ve noticed the whole “eating less” phenomenon with steaks, too. A lot of it has to do with portion control, but it’s true that we feel much more satisfied when eating the pastured steaks we get these days, and are happier splitting a steak rather than each having our own.

It’s fun to see that you meal-plan and shop in much the same way that we do, with a continent between us. And not that you asked, but I vote that you get to call yourself a Locavore despite a few (rather sensible, IMHO) exemptions. As my friend Cookiecrumb reminds me: It’s not a religion. And of course she’s right — it’s about incremental change, about being a mindful consumer, about making informed choices, not about denial of the things that bring you pleasure.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised (esp because of what you said about the pork revelation) that even though your ethical meat purchases will have an impact on your food budget, you’ll end up eating less meat because a smaller amount is just as satisfying when it tastes like it should. Cameron and I used to think nothing of buying two rather large steaks at the supermarket; now we buy one smaller piece and share it.

Kate McDonough, TheCityCook.com

claudia - let’s do lunch.

I already admire your weekly trips to the market to buy fresh vegetables and the like and deeply respect your goals to take it a step further. I hope to follow your example some day!