Dateland

Sixty-eight miles east of Yuma on Interstate-8 is a place called Dateland Date Gardens.  We’ve been passing by it for years in wonder as to what it is all about.  Billboards tout their date milkshakes for miles ahead of time.  You can see the date palms from the highway.  Today we stopped. 

It proved to be an informative stop and we tried just a taste of the date milkshake (not my personal favorite, but interesting.)  There were at least eight varieties of dates available for sale with samples to try of each – all grown onsite.  Each variety has a specific taste, texture, moisture content, and sweetness level.  We selected a package of dates called "Halawi" - high in sweetness, moisture and with a caramel-like flavor.  Quite yummy and a great treat!  There others with exotic names like "Zahidi", "Khadrawy", or "Thoory" dates.  "Honey" and "Medjool" sounded more familiar. 

Jesuit Missionaries first introduced dates into Mexico, Arizona, and California in the 18^th Century. Dates originated in Northern Africa and Southwestern Asia.  Better varieties followed in America by the 1920’s, when palms were cultivated in increasing numbers as a commercial undertaking. 

Date palms require desert conditions to thrive with long, hot summers, moderate winters, minimal rainfall and low humidity.  Grown from seed or offshoots, both a male and female tree is needed for fruit production.  Full production is reached only after ten to twelve years. 

Large and sharp thorns must be removed from the tree to safely grow and harvest this labor-intensive fruit.  The size and quality of date production can be improved by thinning the developing fruit.  Just before ripening, the fruit is covered with a cloth bag to catch any ripening fruit that falls before being picked.  The bag also protects against birds and the elements like wind and rain.  Usually, the fruit is picked over four passes selectively by hand.  Once picked, the dates are dried in the sun, and then sorted for size and quality.

Three categories of dates are used:  soft, semi-dry and dry.  Soft dates have a high moisture content, soft flesh and low sugar content – these are highly perishable.  On the other hand, semi-dry varieties are firm, low in moisture and high in sugar content, and will keep for weeks or months at room temperature.  Dry dates are high in sugar, low in moisture and have a hard, dry flesh, which will keep almost indefinitely at room temperature.

The date is popular with health conscious individuals, as an alternative to sweets.  For baking, the date will yield moistness and sweetness.  I am glad we stopped and learned all of these facts at Dateland.  Now the mystery is solved and we know what this rest stop with its beguiling signs is all about.  Stop there when the opportunity presents itself to you!

An additional note – there is a wonderful gift shop here as well.  I controlled myself, but there were easily three or four items I could have gone home with!