LOYAL CREEKNIKS:  You are patient and you are kind.  You are soft but you are firm. You are quick to praise and slow to criticize.  You are always wise and often wonderful.

Time to reap what you sow.  Cash in those karma points for DEEP DISCOUNTS on juicy fresh tomatoes.  The Ithaca Tomato Council, pictured here after emerging from their plenary session, has approved the following deal exclusively for Farmketeers.  (Only the heirlooms abstained.  Typical.)

BIG TOMATO SALE.  Get $15 pecks of field run beefsteaks!  These are fresh and juicy specimens that we picked for you — no work required!  A peck runs 12-15 pounds, so this is even cheaper than U-PICK!  Perfect for canners, stuffers, juicers, and tomato fanatics who don’t want to go picking!

Act fast while they last.  Who knows when that will be?  As early as tomorrow there could be a catastrophic outbreak of blossom end rot.  Eww.  Or a cataclysmic attack of nocturnal tomato-smashing kangaroos.  That’s what farming feels like.  A real crapshoot and the dice are loaded and the house always wins.

But scared money can’t win and a worried man can’t love.  So let the gods do the worrying for once.  Give yourself an emotional vacation in Tomatoland.  Load up on juicy, local, fresh-picked beefsteaks and live your lycopene dream.

Meanwhile, 3 new kinds of apples are ready to pick!  Try Sansa, Zestar (pictured), and Akane.  These are bona fide “eaters” — fully flavored apples ideal for snacking.

For some of you this will mean stepping out of your Granny Smith comfort zone.  It’s okay, these apples don’t bite, try something new.  See these Sansas.  Ain’t they tasty?

Pick vegetables, too!   Remember that the farm is a one-stop shop.  Fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and more.  Just pull in and pick a peck.  The locavore’s cornucopia:  apples, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, Swiss chard…

And stocked shelves at the stand.  We got lots of seasonal goodies.  From fresh taters dug outta the ground with our own hands to local maple syrups and honeys.  That’s right — honeys.  How do you say it?  Honies?

Well, farmies, that ain’t the half of it.  But we can’t sit here yammering all day.  There’s fresh crops to pick.  Oh, and one little tidbit of gossip to chew on:  Rumor says the first apple cider will be pressed NEXT WEEEEEEEK!  Stay tuned for Orchard Ambrosia.  Hope to see you at The ‘Creek.