If you’re in need of apples for fall recipes, gift-giving or just healthy snacking, you can’t go wrong ordering them from Magnolia United Methodist Church’s AppleFest.

The fundraiser is in its 27th year and supports missions both at home and abroad. Some of the local missions include the Coalition Against Poverty in Suffolk, the Genieve Shelter, the food pantry, hurricane relief and Boy Scout troops.

If we haven’t given you enough reasons to order yet, consider this: they taste delicious, are grown right here in Virginia and are freshly picked within mere hours of the truck arriving in Suffolk. If you store them properly, they’ll last well into the winter and taste just as fresh as when you first received them.

The apples come from Dickie Brothers Orchard in Nelson County, less than 150 miles away, as the crow flies. Several varieties of apples are available for $39 a bushel, $25 for a half-bushel and $21 for a peck. Apple cider and apple butter are also available.

Eating locally is better for the environment and better for you. Fruits and vegetables begin to lose nutrients as soon as they are picked, and trucking foods thousands of miles can be easily avoided by eating locally.

A farmer in Nelson County may not be the guy next door, but it’s certainly closer than the origins of much of the produce in the grocery store, and one tractor-trailer is hauling all that delicious fruit straight to Suffolk. You’ll be supporting a Virginia grower, a local church and its mission outreaches to many local organizations while getting fresh produce. How many times can you say that?

Call the church office at 538-8552 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to place an order.