For a couple of years now I've been thinking of ordering
some barhi dates. Didn't have the money until now.
There's a place in Calif. called "The Date People".
I found their web site a couple of years ago. I contacted
them back in August and they informed me that the dates
would be ready in late October. As it turned out they
were later than usual this year so weren't picked and shipped
until Nov. 4th. I got them the following Tue. Had to
wait until this weekend to deal with them.

I got a 10-lb. "wet pack". (I'm not really sure what "wet
pack" means. But the dates are at the rutab stage, which
is fairly young and thus they are not dry like you usually
see. They don't keep as long at this stage unless you freeze
them, which is what I did. Filled zip-lock sandwich bags
with 1 lb. each and then put 4 bags in each of 3 larger
freezer bags. I ate a few as I was bagging. I hadn't
had them for many years but they taste just like I remember.

I'm probably going to give a few away but the rest I'm going
to gradually eat over the course of the year. May make some
date balls (with coconut, dried apricot, and cashews) and lots
of date shakes. I have a bunch of different date shake recipes.
Some have bananas in them, some have coconut milk, some have
orange juice. Some are make with milk and ice cream, some
with frozen yogurt, some with just yogurt, etc. This ought
to be fun.

Rutab barhis are nothing like what most people know as dates -
medjools, deglet noor, etc. They are soft and taste like
honey and caramel. If you think you don't like dates, you
should try barhis. Trouble is you can't get them in stores
outside of the local growing area in Calif. They don't keep
well enough to ship and sell commercially. The only reason I
knew about them is because I lived in So. Calif. and went to
the Date Festival in Indio one type and tasted them there.
That was 30 years ago and I've been pining for them ever since.

Kate


--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?