Sour and tart the way a hard apple pulled off the tree is tart, with a pucker that lasts most of the stick.

This is the real thing: a Gilliam old fashioned candy stick, bright green striped, five inches long and a quarter inch thick, sealed in its own clear wrapper. Gilliam has been turning out stick candy since 1927, and the wrapper still says so. Work it slowly and the tip sharpens to a point, exactly the way it did when you were seven.

We sell these one stick at a time from the candy counter, so you can build a handful of flavors instead of committing to a whole box. They fill a party favor bag, ride along in a lunchbox, sit in a jar on the counter, and stir a mug of hot tea. Every stick is gluten free and made with no peanut ingredients.