Gross DATES question ...

[MiahTay]

Ok, so I bought some dates in bulk. A few weeks later I found a little worm in one... now, I have pulled nastier stuff off of produce from my garden but my question is this ... Do I have to be concerned about these critters growing in ME if I happen to ingest eggs or ??? I will check every one from this point on but don't really want to scrap the whole batch if it's just a little extra protein ;). Thanks for any advice you may have.

Blessings,
Heather

[pixie_333]

that is just disgusting!

i'm not an expert in this area, but i seriously doubt worms and eggs should be a concern since it's going to your stomach and would be digested like caviar or anything else and die.
parasites and bacteria on the other hand i would worry about...but to my knowledge this isn't hand n hand with worms and eggs.

but weeks you've had the dates? isn't it old by now? i know they crystalise and is ok for a bit.

[MiahTay]

No more disgusting that picking worms off of broccoli or any other veggie in the garden. Dried dates can keep MUCH longer than fresh dates. I've never even SEEN fresh dates. Anybody else have any experience with this?

Blessings,
Heather

[snoops]

Fresh dates will last a year in the fridge. I've tried it.:o They were hidden at the back. But really I read that they last a long time in the fridge.

[pixie_333]

Fresh dates will last a year in the fridge. I've tried it.:o They were hidden at the back. But really I read that they last a long time in the fridge.

really? hmm i never knew. i just assume it wouldn't last much longer than apples ect. i never can keep dates around for long because i indulge so fast! i just heard it's safe to eat once they crystalise but isn't as good. and personaly.. i am very picky and regardless wouldn't trust it to eat dates longer than 5 days or so after crystalising.
and well.. if i found a worm or other bug.. it would go straight in the trash bin..all of it..everything. i would throw up. but i did swip off some ants on some rare fruit i ate in wild because it was so good.
thanks for the info. :)

[RawKnitster]

I always open my dates before biting into them. Just to make sure there are no critters or any evidence of them.

I have eaten fresh Barhi Dates that I got from a local vegan store. They had another kind also, I can't remember the name of it. I sampled both kinds. They were similiar, both had creamy caramel texture and flavor that was amazing. I bought the Barhi, they were slightly milder in flavor.

The medjols and deglets I normally buy are great, but can't measure up to fresh.

The fresh dates have to be refrigerated. The pound I bought lasted about 5 days in my fridge. ;)

[Bananna]

There is another thread on here that discusses worm finding in dates. I didn't eat them for a long time after reading that thread...now I just check em.

[Humanist]

I have never found a critter in a date, but in France I learned to open figs for maggot eggs.

[spicyfull]

Are these seedless or not?

[MiahTay]

Yes, pitted dates.

Heather

[rawstrength]

Those are mealy worms. We've all probably eaten hundreds of them and their eggs (whether knowingly or not) and survived. It is safe to eat your dates. To keep more worms from growing, put those dates in the FREEZER. That will kill the worms and the eggs. The fridge is not cold enough to kill them. The fridge will retard their growth, but not kill them.

[nellie]

I think if I found a worm in my dates, it'd put me off for quite a while. When I was young, my grandparents had a peach tree and worms loved the peaches. It took me many years to eat peaches because I always remembered the worms in my grandparents peaches.

[MiahTay]

OK, I just couldn't do it. I pitched the whole batch. It was totally a mental thing but in all the years I have been buying pitted dates I have never found creepy crawlies in them. So, I have re-ordered more dates and I'm putting them straight into the freezer (thanks rawstrength).

Blessings,
Heather