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Dates

bajalera - 9-21-2008 at 01:45 PM

Dates from this year's crop are now on sale in the shops along the highway at Ejido Alfredo Bonfil, east of the turnoff to San Ignacio.

They're 33 pesos a kilo, and in addition to the regular size there are some huge ones--still golden, because they haven't been dried. I bought a package of those and am trying to sun-dry them [which may account for the gray and sometimes drizzly days La Paz has been having].

vandenberg - 9-21-2008 at 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalera
Dates from this year's crop are now on sale in the shops along the highway at Ejido Alfredo Bonfil, east of the turnoff to San Ignacio.

They're 33 pesos a kilo, and in addition to the regular size there are some huge ones--still golden, because they haven't been dried. I bought a package of those and am trying to sun-dry them [which may account for the gray and sometimes drizzly days La Paz has been having].

Kazillions of free ones here in Nopolo on the main Avenue, in all sizes. Tried to dry the yellow ones myself once before. Managed to raise a nice crop of assorted bugs and critters, not to mention an assault by various rodents.
Must be a trick to this. :?:

Oso - 9-21-2008 at 01:54 PM

More and more acreage here on the Yuma mesa going to dates, almost all Medjools. Less and less citrus.

DENNIS - 9-21-2008 at 01:57 PM

Do they require less water than citrus?

vandenberg - 9-21-2008 at 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso
More and more acreage here on the Yuma mesa going to dates, almost all Medjools. Less and less citrus.

Desert, Nile ( Colorado ), dates.

Add a few muslims and like living in Egypt. :biggrin:

Hook - 9-21-2008 at 03:01 PM

My wife is going to be experimenting with a recipe she found for chorizo and goat cheese stuffed dates. Sounds interesting.

We'l probably use the soy chorizo as we find we like it just fine. Almost indistinguishable from the real stuff...........except for the lack of chewy bits. :no:

Reeljob - 9-21-2008 at 03:23 PM

Most of them are probably Deglet Noor's (product dates, date sugar, cereal pieces, milkshakes etc) Instead of dryig them you might want to hydrage them so they are moist and edible. Want a " Desert Romaki, wrap a peice of bacon around the date and grill on skewer.

bajajudy - 9-21-2008 at 03:26 PM

I love this recipe

Mix walnuts and cream cheese to whatever ratio you want.
Stuff dates with this mixture and wrap in precooked(Dont let the bacon get crispy) bacon, securing with a toothpick.
Bake or broil until sizzling...yummy

bajalera - 9-21-2008 at 03:36 PM

Hydrage them? How do you do that?

Paulina - 9-21-2008 at 04:03 PM

lera,
I think that was a typo, Hydrate.

These receipes sound yummy. I haven't eaten a date for a long time. My grandmother used to roll them in sugar at Christmas time. I had no idea that they could be cooked with bacon, etc...

P<*)))>{

aha baja - 9-21-2008 at 06:13 PM

My bro in law brought to a party a side of Medjools stuffed w/imported gorgonzola & :pistachio nuts and wrapped in bacon and oven baked !!! YUM flavor was off the charts

(don't forget the lipitor) :lol:

Hook - 9-21-2008 at 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by aha baja
My bro in law brought to a party a side of Medjools stuffed w/imported gorgonzola & :pistachio nuts and wrapped in bacon and oven baked !!! YUM flavor was off the charts

(don't forget the lipitor) :lol:

It's the bacon that sends it off the charts. Soy chorizo should be safe.

vandenberg - 9-21-2008 at 06:50 PM

Quote:

When I posted this, I was halfway serious.

Is there a way to dry/preserve them without attracting millions of ants and other critters. And while having them outside, how do you keep rodents from getting to them. Anyone knows how they do them in San Ignacio, for instance?

And for the record:
Had a blind date once and even wrapping it in bacon didn't improve it any.

[Edited on 9-22-2008 by vandenberg]

bajalera - 9-21-2008 at 08:44 PM

Thanks, Paulina, but I don't know what hydraing is either.

I just put the dates on the rack I cook cookies on, and set that on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil. Put it out four days in a row, didn't see any flying/creeping things on them.

Van, maybe if you'd bury that bacon-wrapped blind date instead of just leaving it standing there in your back yard like a trophy of times past, you wouldn't have a bug problem.

Hook - 9-21-2008 at 08:47 PM

I thought Fishbuck was the one who put his dates on the rack and stuffed them.

CaboRon - 9-22-2008 at 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Reeljob
Most of them are probably Deglet Noor's (product dates, date sugar, cereal pieces, milkshakes etc) Instead of dryig them you might want to hydrage them so they are moist and edible. Want a " Desert Romaki, wrap a peice of bacon around the date and grill on skewer.

Wow, bacon wrapped dates ....

Dennis did you check these out ?

CaboRon

Food Dehydraters

CaboRon - 9-22-2008 at 07:14 AM

For those of you interested in food dehydrating there are many products available, it has been very popular for many years (like four thousand) :lol:

http://www.bizrate.com/fooddehydrators/

There are many others, just Google it.

CaboRon

[Edited on 9-22-2008 by CaboRon]

Oso - 9-22-2008 at 07:18 AM

Since they originated in the desert, I would imagine dates do take less water than citrus. The citrus orchards are usually watered by flooding, the date palms all have drip systems.

BTW, try dates stuffed with pecans. Whenever I go to Phoenix I almost always stop at Dateland for one of their date shakes.

Dates

bacquito - 9-22-2008 at 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso
Since they originated in the desert, I would imagine dates do take less water than citrus. The citrus orchards are usually watered by flooding, the date palms all have drip systems.

The saying is that dates like their head in the furnace and their feet in water. Dates take alot of water and will not do well if let go dry. The dates on the mesa are irrigated by drip because the soil is sandy. the dates in Bard are all flood irrigated and frankly most feel that the dates in Bard end up being more moist.
Medjool dates are great however remember they are about 60% sugar but also a great source of potassium and fiber

Dates

bacquito - 9-22-2008 at 11:41 AM

Quote:

bacquito - 9-22-2008 at 11:55 AM

Medjool dates were brought over from Morocco in the late 1800's or ealy 1900'S because an unknown disease that was killing the Medjool trees. About 20 trees were found not to be affected and therefore brought over to the U.S. and grown under quarantine conditions at Henderson Nevada or Southern Nevada. After observations confirmed the trees were O.K. they started growing them in Riverside County and later Bard, Califronia and now alot of acres are growing in the Mesa area near Somerton.

Incidentally the disease on the Medjool trees in Morocco that caused the bringing over of Medjool trees to the U.S. is a fungus called Fuserium oxysporum.

To be successfull commercially the production of Medjool Dates takes year around effort-lots of work!

bacquito - 9-22-2008 at 11:56 AM

Medjool dates were brought over from Morocco in the late 1800's or ealy 1900'S because an unknown disease that was killing the Medjool trees. About 20 trees were found not to be affected and therefore brought over to the U.S. and grown under quarantine conditions at Henderson Nevada or Southern Nevada. After observations confirmed the trees were O.K. they started growing them in Riverside County and later Bard, Califronia and now alot of acres are growing in the Mesa area near Somerton.

Incidentally the disease on the Medjool trees in Morocco that caused the bringing over of Medjool trees to the U.S. is a fungus called Fuserium oxysporum.

To be successfull commercially the production of Medjool Dates takes year around effort-lots of work!