When an apple can transport you back to your childhood

... and I have to tell you, that my childhood was a long time ago.

In 1954 we moved into a big old house with a large backyard walled in by 5 foot high red brick walls. It was not so much a yard as an orchard, filled with apple trees. Much to our dismay, our father chopped down all the fruit trees in the yard, with the exception of those around the perimeter, and planted grass. Looking back of course, I can see the logic, a large area of grass is much more useful for six wild children to play in. We still got fruit from the trees along the wall, and it was ours for the taking.

I know that a lot of people turn their noses up at the term 'organic' either they think it is just another way to charge more money, or they don't like the natural look of organic produce, because it hasn't been modified to look perfect. Frequently there are odd shaped or blemished items and so many people today think that everything has to be perfect. Give me an organic heirloom tomato with its fascinating shape, colors, and amazing taste any day over a perfectly round, perfectly colored, genetically modified, tasteless tomato!

Today I ate an organic Pink Lady apple, and I was back in that walled garden in Rathmines, Dublin - 8 years old again. The taste was identical and I have not tasted as good since I was a child. I had forgotten what a real apple tasted like.

For anyone interested, here is a link to the house I grew up in. It was recently on the market and this is the listing. There is one photo of the backyard, and I am here to tell you it looked nothing like that back in 1954, for the most, the house looks identical, the rooms all look identical with one big exception, the furniture and the decor is nothing like what we grew up with and the kitchen was transformed.

My mother sold the house shortly after I got married. It came on the market again about 8 years later and I went to view it, with a vain dream of buying it, at that time it had scarcely changed at all. Needless to say, I couldn't afford it back then but I was sure I would be able to the next time it came on the market - little did I know that it would 38 years before that happened again, and not only could I not afford it - my life has changed so much I would no longer consider buying it.

Oh but I did love that house, the yard and the apples of my childhood.