BETHEL — Fall is harvest season, and what better time to learn about growing, discovering, and preserving local food. That’s the theme of Mahoosuc Land Trust’s inaugural Fall Festival on September 28 and 29.

Apple expert John Bunker will kick off the festivities on Saturday night at the Gem Theater, talking about heirloom apple varieties, including the Black Oxford, which was discovered in Paris, Maine. Social hour begins at 5 p.m., with the presentation starting at 6 p.m. He will also be selling and signing his book, Apples and the Art of Detection. There is no charge to attend, but donations are appreciated.

An expert on American apples and their history, Bunker is the founder of the mail-order nursery Fedco Trees. He has preserved rare old apple varieties from across New England. In 2012, he founded the Maine Heritage Orchard in Unity, a 10-acre educational orchard of Maine’s historic apple and pear varieties.

The festival continues at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept 29, at Mahoosuc Land Trust’s Valentine Farm Conservation Center. Join us for the afternoon and experience John Bunker’s famous apple display and get your apple questions answered. Visit John Gonter, wild foods chef, and taste bear, turkey, deer and mushroom based dishes.  For a more in-depth opportunity, you can watch salsa and sauerkraut being made, or listen to Jesse Stevens talk about his work trialing novel fruits for Maine, such as figs and pawpaws. There will also be plenty of activities for kids.

The activities wrap up with a community supper at 5 p.m. People are encouraged to bring a dish to share.

To minimize food waste, advance registration for both days is required. Again, there is no charge to attend, but donations are appreciated. More information and registration are at mahoosuc.org/fall-festival.

You may know Mahoosuc Land Trust from their spectacular Monarch Festival, which attracts hundreds of people to Valentine Farm each summer. The land trust’s mission is to safeguard thousands of acres of a globally important forest in the Mahoosuc Region that provides habitat for wildlife critical to an ecosystem that extends far beyond Maine. That conservation funnels down to thousands of backyards and gardens where a cultural shift in landscape aesthetics is creating habitat for birds and pollinators. Learn more at Mahoosuc.org.