DEAR FARMKETEERS, if you get only 1 thing out of this fresh crop alert, it should be these 2 things:  pears and tomatoes.  We are in the season of pears and tomatoes.  And tomatoes.  And tomatoes.  And pears and tomatoes.  And pears.

PEAR season begins!  Pick your own Bartlett pears from trees along the dirt road.  Easy picking, lovely crop.

Now is your chance to beat the September weekend crowds.  The Sat-Sun crowd is going to bumrush the pear orchard.  That gives you today and tomorrow to sneak in.

Teachable moment — pears are unusual.  They ripen from the inside out.  You can’t tell ripeness by looking or squeezing.  Then suddenly it’s too late and they are smushy and rotten.  So here’s what you do.  Pick the pears now, just before they are fully ripe.  Put them in your fridge for 1-2 days, then ripen at room temperature for a day or so.  You can also kickstart things with the old brown bag trick.  Learn about ripening pears to perfection on this page and this page.

We have a monster bumper tomato crop.  Pick your own Beefsteak, Roma, San Marzano, cherrry, and heirloom.  Kids love how easy the picking is.  Our crates runneth over!

Weekday u-pick tomato sale!  Come pick your own tomatoes for only $1/pound thru Friday, September 2!  This  stupendous sale includes u-pick Roma, Beefsteak, and San Marzanos.  (Cherry and heirloom not included.) 

People are doing amazing things with the tomato sale!  These tomatoes traveled to their new homes in Harlem where they became sauces, soups, roasters, and canners.  Nice work, Chef Greg Silverman.

Pick now, eat now (and later)!  Sure these babies taste terrific fresh off the vine.  But the great promise of the tomato is a winter full of luscious, life-affirming homemade sauce.

Whoa.  Dried tomato skins!  Chef Greg reminds us to get creative and use the whole fruit, even if you peel the skins for your canning.  He says, “Grind ’em up and use ’em as tomato spice for soups, stews, and my favs… coating for pan-seared fish or rubbed over lamb shanks.”

Not feeling the u-pick spirit?  You can still get our Beefsteak Boxes for only $15 — which works out to about a buck a pound, and we’ve done the picking for you!  Please come get some, we’re swimming in them.  Spread your extras around the neighborhood or the workplace.

There is so much more at the farm right now.  Pears and tomatoes are the headliners, but you can get peppers, eggplant, squash, flowers, herbs, onions, garlic, scapes, and lots more.  These cuties made the trip to Harlem, but were scared to leave the apartment and explore the city.  Bumpkins!

New farm shirts!  Adult sizes are here in multiple colors.  Next week the new kid shirts arrive.  These are $15 each.  American Apparel.  Made in USA.  Doodled in Ithaca.  Silkscreened by Comet Skateboards in Lansing.  2-color art on front and back.  Flash your Creeknik Pride?

Is this the prettiest apple you ever saw?  We are currently between waves of apple ripenings, so stay tuned for next week.  Meanwhile let’s PICK ALL THE PEARS.  They will rot on the branch if we miss the fleeting moment.  Comedian Eddie Izzard has cried:  “Pears can BLEEP off because they’re gorgeous little beasts but they’re ripe for half an hour…”  (Alert:  language)  He talks about the squeezy-squeezy game that you really can’t win.  So take our word for it.  Time to pick the Bartlett pears!  And buckets of tomatoes.  Hope to see you at The ‘Creek.