History of the Date Fruit and The Medjool Date Part 3

THE HISTORY OF THE DATE

PART III

One of the first growers of the date orchards in the Coachella Valley went to Algeria to purchase date shoots for his farm in the City of Mecca in California. During his stay he kept a journal of his experiences, his name was Henry Simon, and in his North African Diary of 1913 he described the handling of Rhars dates in Arabic countries including Tunisian and Algerian Oases were the growers trampled the soft dates with their unclean bare feet on animal skins. Another type of date which was dry called the Meshi Degla was transported by camel in pairs. The sacks were left on the ground which as often soiled with animal manure from donkeys and camels and then reused again. The Deglet Noor was treated substantially different, because it was primarily an export product. It was packed in wooden crates and shipped to other countries.

There are many other varieties of dates grown throughout the Middle East and North Africa, but most are not cultivated for export or in large quantities. In Algeria and Tunisia the three main varieties are the Rhars (vigorous grower), the dry Meshi Degla(purgative seedling) which is a basically a bread date; and the semidry Deglett Noor (date of light). In the United States the Deglet Noor is one of the dates commonly cultivated.

One of the rarest and most prized varieties is the Menakher (Nose Date) which as never sold for export and the few palms that existed where jealously guarded by their growers.

Morocco, Egypt, Iraq and the other Persian Gulf Countries have their own distinct varieties. Many of those varieties are never exported, because they are soft dates. Among them is Hayany of Egypt; the Khalas(quintessence) of Arabia; and the Barhee, Halawy(the sweet), and Khadrawy(the verdant) of Iraq and Syria. A few of these dates are also grown in California in small quantities.

The Medjool (unknown) of Morocco is known for its unusually large size and it is renowned for its flavor. The Medjool date is a large and dark and can grow to about three inches and even though it is classified as a soft date it is much firmer and more resilient than other soft dates and handles better. The Medjool date made its way to the United States through the United States Department of Agriculture. There was a disease in Morocco that was spreading quickly among the Medjool date palm trees and a Moroccan official gave some shoots to a representative from the USDA which in turn were taken and planted in California. The Medjool is now thriving in California as one of the top varieties of dates.

Date palm trees can yield from about 100 to 300 pounds of dates per tree. One of the most important factors is the amount of water they receive. The date palm can absorb a lot of water. Date palms can also resist very cold weather and have known to survive in subfreezing temperatures. The date palms are usually insect and parasite free, but can be attacked from time to time by fungi and scale insects. The cultivation of dates was very labor intensive and even to date continues to be labor intensive and dangerous. Before planting enormous holes were dug measuring eight feet deep and were eight feet square. Often the holes were dug on hard materials including limestone. The holes were then filled with manure and top soil for about five feet and the remainder was slowly filled around the newly planted date palm tree. The date palm was below ground level, but this allowed for better watering and it provides protection from the hot winds and the sun. Arabs traditionally harvested by cutting the entire cluster, but many American farmers hand picked each individual date as the fruit ripens. Prior to harvesting in many American farms the dates are first prepared by cutting down the amount of fruit on each cluster to allow the air to circulate and permit more uniform ripening of the date. This means that the date will necessarily cost more cultivate and harvest in American farms and will necessarily result in a higher price. Generally speaking imported dates are not as good as American grown dates, because of the more labor intensive cultivating techniques used on American farms, but this is not always the case.

The date palm tree can grow in many different areas, but for the date palm to produce quality fruit it is necessary that the climate be one of very little rain and the climate also needs to be hot. At the same time the date palm requires large amounts of water. In many American farms the fruit from the date palm tree is protected against possible rain, birds and insects by placing a parafined paper bag around the date cluster. This done because of the ease with which rain can ruin dates. There is an opening around the wrapping to permit air to circulate inside the wrapping to allow the dates to ripen properly. In California date farms a bell shaped paper cloak is placed around the fruit. Almost California date farms utilize this technique to protect the date. California grown dates can be seen with this seemingly peculiar wrapping throughout the Coachella Valley. The Medjool Date as well as other varieties is protected using this same technique throughout the Coachella Valley. Upon reaching the final stage and fully ripening the date is no longer as susceptible to rain and humidity. A few date varieties are much more vulnerable to moisture and usually not economical to cultivate and therefore not cultivated on a commercial scale or at all. In the United States the Rhars date is not grown commercially in the United States because of its susceptibility to damage from moisture or rain. Soft dates are much more difficult to handle and cultivate and require extensive care and handling.

Dates can be grown from offshoots and seeds, but are almost always grown from offshoots. The primary reason is that there is a shorten time period to harvest if the date is grown from an off shoot and the date palm from seed rarely has the same qualities as the parent plant. The seed can in fact be used successfully for creating new varieties of dates, but just as it can create a superior variety it can also create an inferior variety.

History of The Date Part IV