High-quality protein-rich foods like eggs, which help people build muscle and stay energized, are in great demand among food-insecure populations. That is one reason America’s egg farmers donate more than 12 million eggs each year to food banks and charities.

A portion of the donated eggs are committed through the Good Egg Project, a simple online pledge form.

Visitors to the Good Egg Projects’ Web site enter their names and agree to “live more healthfully.” America’s egg farmers donate one egg to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, for every pledge made by a visitor to the site (up to 1 million) who agrees to “Eat good. Do good every day.”

Pledging is just the start, according to the site. Other suggested food-related ways to continue to be a “Good Egg” include: helping your family eat more nutritiously, organizing a local food drive, volunteering at a local food bank and helping serve meals at a local soup kitchen.

A Farmers Feeding the Hungry section of the Good Egg Project Web site features short videos of Midwest growers talking about the chickens on their farms and how eggs are processed in consumer-friendly terms.

“Since our hens produce a variety of choices for consumers — cage-free, organic and regular table eggs — you can select what’s best for your family’s lifestyle and budget,” said Greg Herbruck of Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch in Michigan.

“We take these measures to ensure high-quality eggs from the henhouse to your table,” said Herbruck, describing the benefits of climate-controlled henhouses and carefully balanced diets for the birds.

Visit www.goodeggproject.org to learn more and make your pledge.

Fruits and vegetables aren’t the only foods that locavores seek to find. That all-American snack, the potato chip, also has a local flavor, with every region of the country offering its very own signature version.

At last count, there are well over 30 local or regional potato chips with ties to certain parts of the country. Some have a wide regional distribution network, while others stay closer to home. Virtually all of the companies offer products on the Web for those who can’t find these specialized snacks at their favorite convenience store.

Many of the brands have a national following, while others are local through and through, mostly known by hometown followers. The varieties and flavors appear to be unlimited. Some opt for seasonings and spices to add flavor and zest, while others prefer to focus on the characteristics of the potatoes used to make the chips.

Folks in the state of Washington swear by Tim’s Potato Chips. The Algona, Wash.-based company prides itself on using potatoes from the great Northwest.

“We appreciate our farmers; they work very hard growing our potatoes,” the company heralds on its Web site. Tim Kennedy and his family founded the company in 1986. Tim retired in 2005 and Tim’s Cascade Snacks is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Birds Eye Foods.

Other states have chips with equally loyal followings. In California, Rusty’s Island Chips takes pride in being an all-natural handmade potato chip made from nearby Bakersfield spuds. The company cuts the potatoes by hand one at a time in a small vegetable slicer, then slow-cooks the slices in safflower oil. Rusty’s gently seasons its chips with French Mediterranean sun-dried evaporated sea salt.

Dakota Style Potato Chips, out of Clark, S.D., stresses its rural ties.

“When the nearest convenience store is 25 miles away, you learn to do things for yourself. That’s why we started making our own potato chips 19 years ago. We grow our own potatoes. We ‘open kettle’ cook our spuds one batch at a time. We season every chip by hand,” the company boasts.

Sterzings Potato Chips is well-known by everyone in Iowa.

“Our unique chips are made the same way today that they were when the company was founded in the mid 1930s” by founder Barney Sterzing, according to promotional materials. The family-owned and operated business in Burlington, Iowa, is now run by the third generation.

In Missouri, Spudmaster Colossal Chips reigns supreme. The company is based in Bellflower, in the midst of farm country. What’s different about Spudmaster is that the potato skins are kept on the chip, retaining the nutrients and fiber.

Cape Cod Potato Chips in Hyannis Port, Mass., boasts a strong national following. The company began as a small shop in Hyannis on July 4, 1980. Since then, distribution has flourished worldwide. Cape Cod turns to fresh East Coast potatoes shipped in daily from farmers’ fields for its kettle-cooked chips.

Among the many other “locavore” potato chips are Art’s and Mary’s in Kansas, Barrel of Fun in Minnesota, Better Made in Michigan, Blair’s in New Jersey, Deep River in Connecticut, Fox Family in Maine, Golden Flake in Alabama, Martins in Pennsylvania, Potato Finger in Georgia, Route 11 in Virginia, Shearer’s in Ohio, Vitners in Illinois, Wise in Pennsylvania and Zapps in Louisiana.

A common thread unites all the regional potato chip brands. They all stress fresh ingredients, commitment to quality and preparation in small batches. For all of them, the personal touch is critical.

The folks at Virginia’s Route 11 Potato Chips summarize the approach virtually all the regional potato chip makers take: “Everything we make is hand-cooked. This is much more labor-intensive than the continuous frying methods of the big boys, but the payoff in creating a product that is truly delicious is worth all the effort.”

A sunny day and beautiful spring table settings welcomed guests at the historic Eastern Market as the National Peanut Board recently celebrated 10 years of energy and innovation with a luncheon featuring peanut-inspired dishes from some of the most celebrated chefs in Washington, D.C. The award-winning chefs worked with selected students enrolled in Brainfood, a non-profit youth development organization that uses food as a tool to build life skills and promote healthy living in a fun and safe environment.

“Peanuts are packed with protein. They have 30 nutrients, including minerals and antioxidants. As a nutrient-dense food they really are a powerhouse of nutrition and protein,” said Raffaela Marie Fenn, president and managing director of NPB.

“Peanuts are the quintessential American nut…actually legume,” said R.J. Cooper, chef de cuisine at Vidalia in Washington, D.C. “Today we’re taking very traditional ideas of what peanuts should be and using modern techniques to embellish them.”

Bryan Voltaggio, chef and partner at VOLT in Frederick, Md., prefers to use raw unsalted peanuts for savory dishes.

“If I’m using them in a savory application, like for roasted peanut foam, then I use a raw unsalted peanut because I can develop flavor by roasting it slowly in brown butter. I choose different types of peanuts for different applications,” said Voltaggio.

Jack Brinkley of Brinkley Farms Incorporated, a Farm Bureau member in northeastern North Carolina, grows Virginia-type peanuts, mainly for the in-shell roasted/salted market.

“We take a lot of pride in trying to produce a good product,” said Brinkley. “I think since the Peanut Board has been initiated, the growth of the industry has been probably 15 percent or so. We have tackled the allergy issue and have promoted soil and production research on growing a wholesome, healthy product.”

Since its inception in 2000, through many comprehensive program initiatives, NPB has extended its Peanuts: Energy for the Good Life message to increase consumer and market awareness about the great taste, versatility, portability, healthfulness and affordability of peanuts, peanut butter and peanut products. NPB also provides resources to schools and consumers on how to manage food allergies responsibly and has helped develop management programs to protect those who are food allergic while allowing others around them to enjoy the nutritious benefits of peanuts.

Sidebar:

If you’re eating a peanut grown in America, odds are it’s one of four types:

Runners make up the largest percentage of peanuts grown in the U.S. and are used to make most peanut butters. Confection manufacturers favor Spanish peanuts. Virginia peanuts are known for large kernels. They are renowned as both a ballgame snack and a gourmet treat. Valencia peanuts take top honors for sweetness. They’re typically roasted in the shell or used to make all-natural peanut butter.

Great tasting and good for you — what’s not to love about peanuts?