Fresh Dates vs. dried

[Dimond]

I finally tried fresh dates for the first time after not realizing until recently they existed. I use to wonder why everyone raved about dates because I didn't like the taste of the dried ones and never ate them alone. In recipes like the brownies they were good, but I rarely bought them. Now I get it. Fresh Dates are completely amazing and all I will ever get from now on. Very happy to now have this as part of my raw diet. Just need to keep myself from eating too much. :rolleyes:

[Tsurugi_Oni]

What do they taste like compared to dried Medjools? Let me live vicariously through you lol.

[Dimond]

Soft, moist, juicy. Kind of hard to describe the flavor. It's a mild sweetness on it's own, soaked the flavor is a bit more intense.

[RawKnitster]

The new fruits we can find to try never seems to end. :) I have tried 3 kinds of fresh dates. Each tasted different. My favorite were the Barhi dates. They have the taste and texture of carmel. :) A soft caramel.

[bikediva]

I agree, dates are fab. My favourite dessert is medjools slit open and pitted, with a pecan inside. Yum yum yum!

[DebB]

Wow ~ I would LOVE to try a fresh date! *Ü*

[bikediva]

You can get them cheap at Costco.

[Dimond]

Costco has fresh, organic ones? That would be so great if they did. I've always found buying online you can get the best deals though.

[bikediva]

They're not labeled organic, but they taste amazing, so to me that shows they have to be pretty pure. I hear the Date People sell organic for cheap.

[DebB]

Hi ~ I'll post & share this, but please know I'm not pickin' on anyone - ha! I used to buy Costco's dates too and I agree - so delicious! I emailed SunDate back in '08 with questions on long term storage and spraying:

To: SunDate@hotmail.com
Subject: Date questions
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008 17:24:18 -0700


Hello,
We buy your dates at our WA State Costco and enjoy them SO much! Both the medjool and the pitted..
A couple questions please. I read online the best way to store them (longer term) is to removed them from the container, put in a ziploc bag and freeze. And to always keep them refrigerated. Is this your recommendation?
Last question - do you spray your dates? We're trying to go organic, or get as close as we can. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Debbie

**

Dear Debbie:
We also believe that the very best long-term storage of dates is to freeze them. We do not, however, recommend bags unless they are specifically dedicated long-term freezer bags. Most are not and will only support freezing for a relatively short period of time without significant moisture loss.
My wife takes these extra precautions:
1: She accomplishes the project at the earliest possible time after harvest (for Medjool, now),(for Deglet Noor, very soon) in order to preserve the "fresh" taste and texture.
2: She places them in the refrigerator first in order to make them more solid for easier handling and to help prevent them from sticking together in the freezer.
3: She uses very heavy bags and has (at times) even used a vacuum sealing bag system and only fills the bags such that the dates form 1 layer.
4: She places the sealed bags inside large heavy Rubbermaid or Tupperware freezer storage containers.
5: She uses a dedicated freezer with a frozen temperature at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
6: When she wants to thaw and use some dates, she allows them to thaw in the refrigerator until they have equalized to refrigerator temperature.
7: Our family prefers the fruit be "just like off the tree" so she allows it to rise to room temperature before serving.
8: If the dates have dried ( even VERY dry ), she places them in one layer, inside a steamer basket or strainer, over a very large pot (8 quart or larger) of PREVIOUSLY boiling hot water, just off the heat, covers with a moist towel and allows the dates to rest for about an hour. This process gently rehydrates the fruit and I must attest that afterward it's almost impossible to determine which is fresh picked and which is a year old frozen / rehydrated date. If you "steam" the dates over live steam, the essential color, texture and flavor will change; not a "bad" thing, just not that fresh date taste, etc.
9: For use in baked products, a simple light steaming or even soaking over-dry dates in warm water will soften the fruit sufficiently so as to be an appropriate ingredient.
Our dates are held in cold storage throughout the packing season from harvest until the pack/ship cycle. This helps establish a fresher taste and appearance by not disturbing the nature of the fruit until just before packing. Our recommendation is to purchase several packages at the onset of the season so that you can personally freeze them for even better results than possible in our packinghouse.

Our Deglet Noor dates are sprayed (dusted) with Malathion and natural elemental sulphur (the yellow kind mined from the ground, NOT sodium metabisulfite the problematic preservative and NOT sulphur dioxide gas which is used in the DRIED (not fresh) fruit industry). This sulphur is a natural deterrent to pests. Literally, they smell it and keep away. This and the Malathion are rendered safe for human consumption after a very short time and are only used far in advance of the harvest to ensure far more than enough time has elapsed, in accordance with the specified labeled regulation. The Medjool dates are only dusted with sulphur, not Malathion as the pests that disturb Medjools all respond to the sulphur. It is my understanding that the very limited amount of "organic" dates available are all dusted with sulphur as it is a natural element, not a synthetic chemical. However, we are not "organic" in that we do also fumigate all our fruit in accordance with USDA approved guidelines, using a common food grade fumigant with very controlled procedures and techniques.
I hope that this answers your questions about our wonderful California dates. If you have anything further, please don't hesitate to contact me at once. Thank you for your continued patronage,
Sincerely,
SunDate LLC
Craig Schwab

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Anyone ever try one of the "honey" variety of dates? They're very chewy, and not very granular at all. And they taste super close to honey. Or how about Jordan Valley dates?

[Dimond]

After trying fresh Medjools, don't know if I'd ever buy anything else. They are that amazing. A dessert all on their own. And when you soak them for several hours, they become even more amazing.

I think I will be sampling some varieties because I hope to eventually be able to offer them if I can get good rates for everyone. Though likely I will stick with ones very similar to Medjools.

Jordan Valley dates are only available on the U.K., but come from Palestine. Think California ones are good enough for here.

[stiggs]

After trying fresh Medjools, don't know if I'd ever buy anything else. They are that amazing. A dessert all on their own. And when you soak them for several hours, they become even more amazing.

I think I will be sampling some varieties because I hope to eventually be able to offer them if I can get good rates for everyone. Though likely I will stick with ones very similar to Medjools.

Jordan Valley dates are only available on the U.K., but come from Palestine. Think California ones are good enough for here.

I just had my first ever dates today. It was medjool too. They are soo good. I ate the whole pack even though I was full up :D
I was gonna try and soak them in water but I 1. didnt have the patience and 2. didnt want the water to steal their nice taste;)
I also got a pack of Deri Dates I have yet to open. There is a cool picture of a massive bundle of them growing on a date tree (?) - like a huge bunch of grapes. may as well read the description since they are in front of me "hand selected, stoneless, Deri Dates, chosen fot their delicious unique carmel flavour and soft sticky dark flesh" mmm...

[Dimond]

They are soo good. I ate the whole pack even though I was full up :D

I know they're so addictive you can just keep eating them. :)

[RawKnitster]

Costco's medjool dates are soft and moist, but I think they are still dried. They certainly seem dried compared to the fresh dates I've had. I still buy them because of convenience and price.

The raw store I bought fresh dates from keeps them in the fridge. I was told fresh dates require cold storage.

I recently tried some dates from Arizona called "Black Spinx". They were dried, not as soft as a medjool. The flavor was dark and rich, without the intense sweetness of a medjool. I have to get more. These dates made the best RP brownies I ever tasted!

[Tsurugi_Oni]

I'm in this US and this local Arabic store carries Jordan Valley Dates, along with Californians, Medjools, Honey, and 2 more I dont remember. I can only compare the Jordan's to the Honey, but I remember them being sickeningly sweet. Its the first time I can remember eating something so sweet that I had to stop, and I used to eat sugar cubes straight when I was little. They were crusted with sugar, and the dates were granular, flaky, and a little moist. Crazy.

[RawKnitster]

DebB, thanks for sharing the email from SunDate. :cool:

[Mary Kay]

Wow, DebB,

That guy sure did write you a nice detailed and caring letter, even though the answers were not ones we wanted to hear.

Now all of you, are you sure you're all writing about FRESH dates?

I'm in Ohio, and frankly, I don't know what a fresh date looks like or tastes like! I've only ever even tasted fresh figs a handful of times too! And oh my, they were wonderful.

Mary Kay

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

Its the first time I can remember eating something so sweet that I had to stop, and I used to eat sugar cubes straight when I was little.

I can't eat any date on its own. It's way too sweet and my body reacts more badly to it than a piece of processed candy.
But mixed with fats or greens, like in pie crusts, nut milks and green smoothies I have no issues with it whatsoever.

[Mary Kay]

SevenKindsofCookie,

I also reacted badly to dried dates once, when on a sev'l day-long date binge. I got a real bad resp infection that then went into an ear infection. I was checking my pH before I got sick then stopped, binged and then checked it and it plummeted down to 6.25 or 6.5......

Mary Kay