Dates On the Vine
Estimated Inventory, 30 lbs : 0
Description/Taste
Attached to their thin spindly vine, dates are actually a berry with a ridged seed and are the fruit of the date palm tree. There are two types of dates, soft and semi-soft. The soft date has high moisture content, low sugar content and has a soft flesh. The semi-soft date has high sugar content, relatively low moisture content and a firmer texture. The semi-soft Deglet Noor, meaning "date of light" is medium to large, amber and oblong and accounts for eight-five percent of the dates grown in California. The Zahidi, meaning "nobility" is a smaller semi-soft date, golden in color and egg-shaped. Soft varieties of dates include the Medjool, meaning "unknown", the Khadrawy, meaning "green" and the Halawy, meaning "sweet". Dates offer a sweet taste with a rather sticky thick texture, often compared to the texture of the sugar cane.
Seasons/Availability
Dates on the vine are available during mid to late summer.
Current Facts
Date palms located in the Coachella Valley of southern California in the vicinity of Indio and Palm Springs produce almost the entire supply of the country's dates. Date palms can live and bear fruit for one hundred years and may grow one hundred feet tall. Three hundred pounds of dates can be produced by just one healthy palm in a season.
Nutritional Value
Rich in folic acid and fiber, one average date contains about 24 calories. Dates contain no sodium or fat.
Applications
Dates make delicious fillings, especially for traditional date-filled cookies and are a popular ingredient for many other baked goods and pastries. Experiment with the flavor in desserts, tarts, muffins and various types of cookies. Always store soft dates in the refrigerator. Tightly wrapped semi-soft dates may be kept at room temperature but will keep longer if refrigerated. Dates will stay moist for as long as eight months if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
The word "date" comes from the Latin word "dactylus" meaning "finger" as the date was thought to resemble one.Chinese cuisine especially uses dates in their pastries and in their steamed sweet buns. The date is known as hoan jo in China and in India it is also called chawara and khajur.
Geography/History
Evidence shows date palms grew along the Nile in the fifth century B.C. Nomadic tribes are said to have taken the date palm to the Sahara about two thousand years ago. The Moors are credited with its introduction into Spain and North Africa. Spanish missionaries attempted to grow the trees along the coast of California but the moist climate wasn't suitable. The dry desert climate at Mecca, California proved to be an ideal growing area and the trees that were planted there in 1900, flourished. By 1915, the California date industry was off to a very good beginning. Thirty varieties of dates now exist with most having Arabic names.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Dates On the Vine. One
is easiest, three is harder.| My Diverse Kitchen |
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Fresh Dates & Apple Crumble |
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