Tough headlines of late. Egg prices are soaring, the Associated Press declared Tuesday morning.

A few days prior, more troubling news:

Bird flu was found in Georgia.

"Highly pathogenic avian influenza confirmed in commercial poultry flock," the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture announced.

Elbert County, just north of Athens. Probably 220 miles away, but fewer as the crow flies.

And that's how it often happens.

"Don't let your birds co-mingle with waterfowl and wild birds," suggest experts at Tennessee State University.

Haley Treadway - the UT Ag Extension Agent for Hamilton County - sent an announcement Monday, quoting a colleague:

There is a massive amount of avian influenza virus in the environment right now and poultry producers (commercial and backyard) must be aware of the threat and take necessary precautions to avoid tracking the virus to their birds.  Think Isolation ... Traffic Control ... and Sanitation.

There's a growing understanding of the connection between bird flu and large-scale animal industrial farming. Think thousands of birds or cattle. This ain't old McDonald.

The trouble continued Tuesday after the White House paused federal grants.

Hundreds of regional nonprofits and businesses are confused and affected, including the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and programs emanating from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

All these things are connected. All things are in relationship.

One of the most courteous and long-lasting steps we can take? Support local farmers. Our money builds up the regional economy while bolstering men and women whose practices are wholesome, regenerative and healthy.

At today's Main Street Farmers' Market, you can buy eggs and 100s - literally - of other items.

Not just produce, but cranberry carrot muffins, Borscht, artisan fruit vinegars, bread flour, bear claws, every type of meat and protein - beef, chicken, pork, goat, even oysters - along with local lettuce and greens, mushrooms, pecan milk, coffee, kimchi, single origin chocolate and the only - that we know of - herbal CSA in the area from Alysia Leon and Bird Fork Farm.

Now, some good news.

Wine and faith - not necessarily, but sometimes, in that order - can be two of the best responses to a difficult world.

Next month, our friends at Imbibe are helping host Dr. Gisela Kreglinger - theologian, wine enthusiast and author of The Soul of Wine - for three days in Chattanooga for two public events. Pencil in the dates. 

"I will present wine tasting as a spiritual practice," she said.

On Sunday, Feb. 16, she’ll speak at 50/50 Wine and Martini Bar in the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Expect curated wines and meaningful conversation, as Gisela speaks on Savoring Spirit and Story.

Tickets are going fast. The event begins at 7 pm. Reserve your seat here.

On Tuesday, Feb. 18, she's the headliner for Theology on Tap at The Camp House. Her talk - Cup Overflowing: a Conversation on the Spirituality of Wine - begins at 6.30 pm.

Reserve your seat here:

"I am trying to help people of faith reimagine what spiritual practices can be and that we are invited to come to our senses in the fullest sense of the phrase and cultivate an embodied and joy-filled spirituality," she said.

Gisela, who grew up on her family's German winery, has built a career helping others recognize the spirit and soul within wine. With a PhD in historical theology, she also wrote The Spirituality of Wine, which Carlo Petrini - founder of Slow Food International - called a "must-read."

• Speaking of wine, we heard from Pruett's after our recent visit there with the expertly delightful Bill "The Wine Guy" Hull.

Pruett's is the last best local grocery store. Family-owned, with one of the region's finest in-store-wine-selection, Pruett's also makes and serves pizzas, sandwiches, coffee, desserts, sushi and a salad-soup bar.

Yet, no longer with seed oil.

"As you may know, seed oils, such as soybean, corn, and canola oil, may pose health risks due to their high omega-6 content, which can promote inflammation and chronic diseases when unbalanced with omega-3s," owner Chuck Pruett said.

Chuck and the Pruett's team are ending all seed oils in Pruett's prepared food.

"At Pruett’s, we have a goal to eliminating all seed oils from our prepared foods," he said. "A key milestone in this effort is the removal of soybean oil from our fried foods."

So, he made a delicious switch.

"We now use locally-rendered beef fat, or tallow, as our frying oil," Chuck said.

Pruett's renders the tallow from leftover beef fat.

"This transition has tripled shelf life and significantly enhanced flavor quality," he said.

Pruett's has plans for its own salad dressings.

"Our next hurdle is to create our own avocado oil mayo and incorporate it into our salads and dressings," he said.

This news won't make it into the Associated Press, but for us regionally? It's an outstanding reminder that once again: comfort, health and responsibility are found among area growers, grocers and producers.

The closer we can get to them, the closer we can get to sustainable solutions.

Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com

This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.