Chocolate-covered berries at Morgan Price in Decatur

There’s no need for scented candles or special sprays at Morgan Price Candy Co. in  Decatur. When you walk through the door, the smell of simmering sugar, butter and fresh berries whiffs past your nostrils. And as candy-makers prepare for one of the biggest holidays of the year – Valentine’s Day – there is a lot of cooking going on.

Candy and treats made at Morgan Price and other homegrown places such as Bloomin’ Lollipops in Mobile and Priester’s in Ft. Deposit delight local customers and travelers, but they also make their way across the country to folks who enjoy a taste from Alabama.

“We’re right here off of Interstate 65, so we get travelers in from Kentucky, Georgia and we get a lot of people from Tennessee,” said Ellen Burkett, co-owner of Priester’s. The store and its website are decorated with red and white ribbons and hearts. The Valentine’s Day favorite at Priester’s is fiddlesticks. These treats come on a stick with about 5 inches of caramel and pecans (Alabama-grown) in the middle, wrapped on the sides with chocolate.

Bloomin’ Lollipops and Morgan Price have lots of candy specialties for Valentine’s Day, but their most popular items are candied apples, which are shipped to almost every state.

Bloomin’ Lollipops in Mobile offers a variety of candy apples.

“We make our own caramel, then we dip the apples, making sure they are covered well. We roll them in pecans, then we drizzle them with milk chocolate and white chocolate,” said Anita Marceaux, the 72-year-old store owner at Bloomin’ Lollipops.

Over the Christmas holidays, Bloomin’ Lollipops produced and sold more than 10,000 lollipops because individuals and corporate customers give them as gifts throughout the season. Although Valentine’s Day is just one day, Marceaux said the Mobile shop still will see robust business because of repeat customers locally and across the country. They also get a lot Valentine’s Day requests for homemade pralines and flavored popcorn, she said.

The favorite at Morgan Price is English toffee, said owner Nancy Curl. “It’s an original recipe. The same person has been making the toffee for 30 years,” Curl said. “Everyone here has that special thing they do.”

Customers all over the world enjoy these Alabama treats.

Morgan Price gets a lot of visitors from Chattanooga, Nashville and Birmingham. But the goodies are shipped to places as far away as Puerto Rico and Japan, Curl said.

“We take off a week after Christmas, and as soon as we return, we start getting ready for Valentine’s,” she said. “A lot of people who live nearby like to get something different or special, and people who live far away sometimes just enjoy a treat from Alabama.”