So beloved is Lucille Harvey's white fruitcake recipe, Tribune readers start begging for it as early as summertime.

And each year since 1951, in the week after Thanksgiving, the Tribune delivers.

Havoc and mayhem await the person who interrupts that kind of a publishing streak. I won't dare tempt fate. (The recipe runs today on Page 2 of Getaway.)

As we've done for four years, we're asking you to join the fun by sending in your best and brightest fruitcake-themed haiku poem.

The response has mushroomed each year. Authors send as many as a dozen poems at once, shooting them at us like Pez candy.

Some take it very seriously.

Mary Ellen Ahrens, formerly of Lake Alfred, wrote me in October asking if we would be holding the contest again. She moved to Greensboro, N.C., this year, but still wanted to play.

"Who is the judge this year?" she e-mailed. "I don't want their name but I would like to know what their occupation is and whether they are male or female. I think that makes a difference in what they are looking for."

So, you're saying there's a fruitcake haiku bias, Mary Ellen? Interesting. Unlikely, but interesting nonetheless.

"Do you realize that I've won honorable mention every year since you started? It's so much fun!"

I was so glad to hear that Mary Ellen enjoyed our new tradition. Then she bored in for specifics.

"What's the judge's line of work; her age - young - middle - old? Is she a professional or bakes in her home like last year's judge? I aim to win this year!"

Wow. You'd do well at Gitmo, Mary Ellen.

The good news is that we've snookered another unsuspecting participant into our reindeer games: Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of the "The Cake Bible." Her most recent baking book, "Rose's Heavenly Cakes," is in stores now. Rose, bless her heart, has agreed to pick a winner from our finalists. Little does she know how much our shenanigans will extract from her soul.

For those unfamiliar with the form, a haiku is a three-line verse that must have five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and another five in the third.

The one key ingredient: Each haiku must have something related to fruitcake as its topic. A small hint: Go for the funny bone. No one likes a grouchy haiku verse.

To recap and maybe jar a candied-fruit memory, here are the top three winners from last year:

Chop, dredge, cream, beat, sift,

Fold, stir, blend, grease, line, pour, cool;

Five pounds of fruitcake.

- Doris Hertz, Apollo Beach

Fruitcake like football?

Some pass it, others down it

and both contain nuts.

- Cindy Lewis, Plant City

Crash, broken window

Look, there's a note from Santa

Regifting fruitcake.

- Linda Gilleo, Tampa

As you can see, the bar has been set very high.

All submissions should include your full name, address and phone number, and where you can be reached. A photo of yourself - or of a fruitcake you've baked - emailed to info@tbo.com would be helpful as well.

The deadline for submissions is Dec. 12. Winners will be announced in the Getaway section on Dec. 20.

The three best haiku authors will win a copy of "Rose's Heavenly Cakes" signed by Beranbaum. The book usually retails for $39.95 (or $47.95 in Canada). Amazon named it one of its top cookbooks for 2009.