by Diane & Chuck Brady
hats right, the Romance and Sex Life of the Date
that sweet, succulent desert delight. But well go into that a bit later.
Ninety-five percent of the dates grown in the United States come from the
area around Indio, in Southern Californias Coachella Valley, about 25-miles
east of Palm Springs.
Dates, of course, came from the Middle East, where they have been cultivated
for over 6,000 years, probably the oldest tree crop. How the trees survived,
much less became a valuable crop, without the help of humans is nearly unimaginable.
Again, more on that later.
The surrounding area tries to evoke a Middle-Eastern flair there are
the Coachella Valley High School Arabs and the Riverside County Fair and National
Date Festival (February 13 22), with Queen Scheharazade, nightly Arabian
Nights musical, and the daily camel races.
And, of course, Shields Date Gardens, on Highway 111 (the Date Garden Highway)
in Indio. You cant miss it the Guardian of Quality
(a large figure of a knight in armor) points the way a prime example
of 1950s roadside art.
that sweet, succulent desert delight.
Inside you can buy many different varieties of dates, with a plethora of
free samples to help you decide which treats to buy. Or, there is the famous
date shake actually a vanilla shake with chopped-up dates
in it. Quite tasty, really!
So now, finally, the juicy stuff. In their theater, running continuously,
is the feature attraction, The Romance and Sex LIfe of the Date.
Now, many plants have both male and female parts in the same plant. Not so
the date palm! There are definite male and female trees. Here is where it
really gets good. The palms are planted 50 to the acre 49 gals and
1 guy! A real harem. And the poor guy needs help.
At the proper time, humans have to climb the male tree to collect the pollen-laden
stalks. This is not a task for the faint-of-heart, as these palms get very
tall they actually fasten ladders to the trees, adding to them as the
trees grow. They also wrap the stalks so none of the pollen is lost.
Just as human females have a pretty short time of fertility, so also the
date palm female. At the proper time (how all of this got figured out is beyond
our comprehension), up into the female trees go the pollinators, where the
pollen stalks are ever-so-carefully shaken over the eagerly waiting female
parts.
Then the waiting begins. It takes from March til fall for the dates
to ripen, but then, being female, the fruit is rather coy about this, and
all the dates do not ripen at the same time. So the harvesters have to make
many trips up the trees and hand-pick the dates as they decide to ripen. Talk
about labor-intensive!
There you have it, the Romance and Sex Life of the Date. Rather steamy, dont
you think?
Shields Date Gardens: tel. 800/414-2555; www.shieldsdategarden.com.
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The
Guardian of Quality
Chuck Brady photo
Date
Palm Grove
Chuck Brady photo