Please tell me about dates

[Chanda]

I bought some dates and they look a like big smooshy slightly rasiny/figy things. Is this what they are supposed to look like?

I wanted to make Alissa's date nut torte and it says to soak and pit the dates. How do I do that and for how long do I soak them?

Thanks,
The newbie,
Chanda

[Crystl-jade]

HI


Well first off, not all dates are raw. Some have been pasturized. They have been steam at a very high temp to kill mold, bugs, ect. The only way to find out for sure is to ask the company who distrubutes/packages them. Some dates are frozen until sold. On both occassions, I have accidently purchased these dates, you really can't tell them from truly raw, so you should ask.

Secondly, all dates are not created equal. Their are so many different varieties out there.

I soak mine for about 4 hours.


Crystl-jade

[Secret Heart]

Crystal-Jade
Four hours soaking? Would an hour suffice? I want to try to get my medjools back to their fresh plumpness....what temp is the water you soak in?

Thanks
Heather

[Chanda]

Hmm, not all dates are equal... You can say that again! hehe
Just kidding.

I will have to check up on my date source and find out exactly what I got. This was my first ever raw shopping trip so I was pretty clueless. I swear I spent about 2 hours in there looking and looking for what I needed.

I am going to try soaking my dates and see what happens. I did about 5 of them and put them in some water and set them near the window in the kitchen. Is that correct?

Thanks,
Chanda

[Vandy]

Are the dates at Wild Oats raw?? The ones that come in the bin? Does anyone have a website for raw dates?

Also, does anyone find dates to be constipating?

[Sheryl]

If the dates are soft and mushy I personally don't soak them. Soaking for dates is to make them easier to blend, and the soft mushy ones blend fine! I find if I soak those they go way too soft and water rich and make the recipe too watery.

Drier smaller dates I do soak to make them blend easier. Some are like little rocks they are so dry and have so little flesh!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Shivananda]

Are the dates at Wild Oats raw?? The ones that come in the bin? Does anyone have a website for raw dates? The ones at my Wild Oats are. Or you can order them them from Jewel Dates, in Thermal California.

To plump up dried dates, a short soak in warm water should suffice. Maybe 30 minutes or an hour. But for blending 4 hours or more will soften them as much as you want, right down to gooey mush. They are, after all, little more than sugar and soluable fiber.

Medjppl are the big plump ones, sometimes 2" long. Deglets are not as creamy, and are smaller, but are also cheaper.

To pit a date without soaking, I just cut them in half the long way with a chefs knife. Once soaked you can sometime just squeeze the pit out.