"How do you like them apples, hon?"

 It is that time of the year again, when I slip into a nostalgic spell as friends from North-Atlantic America begin posting photos of their leaf peeping excursions... the rich reds and oranges of maple leaves, the  glossy browns of oaks, and the lickety lemony yellows of elms... The sense of familiarity lends itself to some solace arising from having been there and done that, and sadness from not being there now to experience the magic one more time.  To be a witness to these colorful leaves completing the last  leg of their journey, and writing their own epitaph with such flair, is a liberating experience in itself.

For us, and for many New Yorkers, the leaf peeping drives went hand in hand with visiting apple orchards to pick bagfuls of our own fruits right off the trees. Having filled our bags to capacity with the 'forbidden' booty, we would lag  them along to the in-house coffee-snack-and-gift shop to join the party of merry pickers feasting on hot apple cider spiced with cinnamon and clove. And for accompaniment, one could dig into anything from  apple pies, cobblers, and pandowdies to crumbles or  warm cider donuts!

Yes, visiting the neighborhood orchards was a sought-after activity by most families, much as driving to countryside farms to find that perfect pumpkin which would adorn their porch to welcome the trick-or-treaters during Halloween. Come to think of it, it was a wonderful way to get in touch with the ground realities of life, as well as to build a rapport with one's own farming community. Needless to say, this little seasonal exchange also gave impetus to the local economy. 

It is in fact remarkable that  despite  this  innocent apple being maligned since  biblical times, because of its association with  the disgraceful fall of mankind, it has continued to enjoy the ranks of the worthy. Mothers, for examples, still call their offsprings, 'apple of my eye', most endearingly, while grannies like to harp on  its medicinal properties, predictably concluding with, 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'. 

What's more, it had to be an apple falling from the tree, which inspired the concept of gravity and revolutionized modern science. 

Is it a chance that the recording company launched by The Beatles, the  legendary Rock and Roll band, was called Apple Corps? It is said that it was  Yoko Ono's piece called 'APPLE', which consisted of a green Granny Smith apple atop a plexiglass stand, as part of an avant-garde exhibition in London, which caught John Lennon's attention. To Yoko's horror, he picked up the apple, and bit into it, thus committing the primeval sin: relenting to the temptation presented by Eve. The rest of course is history.

To add yet another feather to the controversial, yet consistent high and mighty reputation of apples, today, one of the most innovative and profitable corporation dealing with consumer electronics, founded by late Steve Jobs, is also called Apple Inc. So, what more is there to say? Except that, despite much scheming,  Satan could not succeed in making the apple fall from grace. He did however manage to entice us enough to steer our steps towards the apple orchards every fall, and succomb to temptation, year after year. 

Did you know that New York, the Big Apple state boasts of 24 varieties of apples? Right from Empire, McIntosh, Gala, Fiji, Honeycrisp, to Cortland, Red Delicious, Granny Smith and , Ginger Gold, to name a few that I can still remember.