ok..question about dates. i'm clueless.

[eatyourbroccoli]

are dates..the kind bought out of the big crates at the grocery store..slightly wrinkled skin but still gooey inside..dried?

or..is there such a thing as a dried date?

are dates naturally dried?

if not, what's a regular date look like?

and if those dates are dried and dried naturally..are dates considered a dried fruit like raisins?

ahh..i've been eating dates a ridiculous amount the past month or so. they're great for energy since i'm pretty active, and sometimes they're the only thing i want to eat; nothing else seems very appealing. despite all this, for some reason, i just realized TODAY that "wow..these sort of look like big raisins. are these a dried fruit?!?!" :o

sometimes i'm so clueless lol :p

thanks in advance :)

[michigan roman]

eyb , i cant say for sure if they are heated , i guess i just assumed they were sun dried . but reason im posting is that i love them too but cant afford to buy as many as i want to eat because itd be about a gallon per day so to make them go farther i chop them up in blender with other dried fruits , nuts and seeds like pineapple , raisins , almonds , walnuts , sunseeds , etc into bb sized bits for a loose granola i sprinkle with cinnamon and eat out of bowl with spoon , with fruit on the side or mixed in , berries also . its a great anytime fuel , plus quenches sweet tooth .

[rawpriestess]

There are many types of dates, the most common are Medjool, a large golden brown yummy. sweat gooey date,
and honey dates, a smaller, more golden and tastes like honey

there are many types of dates huge, and small, dark brown and light yellow, they are difficult to find fresh in most areas, most places you see them dried, but you can get them fresh in larger stores or in tropical climates.

I live near Seattle where you can get anything you want, including fresh durian at about $2.00 per pound, and frozen at about $.50 a pound. too bad I don't like it.

so probably the dates you are getting are dried, I can't be sure, but it is my guess, and they keep well in the fridge for almost ever, they will get harder and drier as they get older, you can just plop them in some water for a half hour to soften up, and use the soak water in smoothies, desserts, drinks etc. you can also use the softened dates any way you want.

I like my dates pretty dried for pie crusts and things, but in recipes I like them softer so they blend better.

But I never even tried a date until I was raw, because I hate the way thy look, they look like a fat slug, and I live in the Pacific Northwest, slug country, so you can imagine my surprise at how totally delicious one was when I finally tried one.mmmmmmmmmmmm

I'm with you, I LOVE DATES.

[Sheryl]

There is a company in the US that sells fresh undried dates in "Wet Packs" during date season. They are simply amazing. I suggest people buy some of the 10-20 pound packs and keep them frozen. Mmmm... my mom ordered some to Canada for Christmas and the taste and texture was so beautiful. If you squeezed the dates between your fingers they just melted they were so fresh. Since they were undried they also had to be chilled, or would go mouldy within a week or so.

We tried about 5 different varieties. I loved them! Even with shipping to Canada it was only like $75 US for 15 pounds... more than half of which was shipping.

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Secret Heart]

I have started soaking my medjools for about an hour before I eat them. Should the water be warm to facilitate reconstitutionI find that they never regain their original fresh plumpness after soaking...

Heather

[RowanC]

I go to southern california every winter and buy my dates in Thermal at a place called OASIS DATE GARDENS. They have organic dates to die for!

They have a website - you can google and find it. I am on dialup or I'd go find it for you. Takes too long to get back here ::grin:::

They carry many varieties, but I love the Barhi Dates because they are soft and gooey like a caramel and require no soaking at all. Totally different taste from a Medjool date.

They will ship dates to you by the box in various poundages.
Also, if you don't mind soaking the dates, you can purchase last year's dates which are a bit drier, at a discount.

Anyway... I have been going to them for years and their dates are awesome!
Try the Barhi's... you'll never go back to medjools!

[DrPr]

I love dates! They are desert fruit and grow on palm trees (date palms). Some dates are allowed to dry on the tree in the desert but many are "cured" after they are picked. (I used to think dates were dried figs- I don't know where I got that idea).

-Allison

[RowanC]

Ooooooooo yeah, I love them too!

What's funny is I used to HATE them! I thought they looked like cockroaches (like in the other string) and hated the texture and taste. But I had only tried medjools. When I actually visited the date gardens and tasted the Barhis, I was sold! My gosh, they 're so good!

The best & easiest treat of all is to split one open, take out the pit, and replace it with a whole nut, like a walnut or brazil nut. Then smoosh the date back around the nut and eat it. It's like wee candy bar. Lovely.

[greeninlosangeles]

I buy dates in farmers market fro Date People and they are so soft and taste as caramel. When they are ripe, they are sticky and wrinkly,and they get this way on the tree. Before that they do not taste good at all, but some people like them unripe.
Medjools are big, but they are hybrid, which is less good for your health.

[Shivananda]

Dates are nature's candy, and are a mainstay ingredient in raw restaurant desserts. I make truffle balls from medjool dates, raw carob, and raw almonds that people swear are chocolate fudge. And dates and shredded coconut make a good raw pie crust. As has been mentioned, they are natural fruits that grow on palm trees in the desert and wrinkle and get harder as they dry. They are available as certified organicand raw.

But they are very high in sugar and very delicious, so beware eating too many. It's not much different than eating a lot of candy, albeit natural candy.

[Rawmommie]

Mmmmm, dates are my favorite, I have to watch myself with them or I'll binge on them. I put a dollop of raw cashew butter on them and I swear they taste like a PB cup. Drooling now. :rolleyes:

[Advid]

Hi eatyourbroccoli,



is there such a thing as a dried date?
Yes, because I have recently tasted fresh dates. Or, at least not as dried as usually



if not, what's a regular date look like?
It looks as a dried date, but it is bigger (about 4 centimetres length) and has less wrinkles.

I like them too. :-)

[Guydiane]

I love the dates from Thermal they are so good we go threw there and always pick some up. They have a big date fesitval in Indio by there everyyear. YUM