History
Dates may very well be man's oldest cultivated crop. Date palm orchards flourished in ancient Mesopotamia, now Iraq, before 3,000 B.C. In Ancient Egypt, date palm hieroglyphs were used to designate a year and the frond a month, in carvings found on statues and temples. In Biblical times, the Hebrews saw the date tree as the “tree of life”. Years later, in 1904, Bernard C. Johnson established a USDA experimental station for commercial date gardens, near Mecca, California . Dates require special environmental conditions to produce fruit. Therefore, Coachella Valley, California, with its hot, arid weather but with plenty of ground water is the ideal place for growing dates in the United States. Today, California produces more than 30 million pounds of dates annually, representing 95 percent of dates produced in the United States. Arizona also produces a significant crop of dates.
Date Facts
Dates are commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern dishes. Americans most often reserve their use for holiday foods such as breads, cookies, and cakes. But with their nutritional value and flavor, dates can add variety to meals all year long. Dates are full of energy-producing carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin B, and potassium. They are also low in sodium, cholesterol, and fat. Dates complement many other fruits and vegetables and also pair well with seafood and meats.
Dates are most readily available from September through December. A vigorous date palm can produce up to 100 pounds of fruit every year for a century. Because of their meaty texture, sweetness and rich flavor, many think of dates as a dried fruit. But most dates are only slightly air dried and are technically considered a fresh fruit. Soft date varieties include Medjool, Amer Hajj, Halaway, and Barhi. Semidry dates include Deglet Noor, Empress, and Zahidi. When selecting dates for purchase, choose dates that are plump with a brown color and smooth skin. Avoid dates that show crystallization of sugar, are badly cracked, or smell sour. At home, store soft or semidry dates in the refrigerator. Dried dates can be kept in a cool dry place for up to one year.
Nutritional Information (per 5-6 dates): 120 calories, 0 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 3 g dietary fiber, 1 g protein, 240 mg potassium