Essential Pantry Medjool Dates
1 pound bag - California
On an acre of land, up to fifty females and one male can grow in harmony. A 15 to 20 year old tree will yield about 200 pounds of Medjool dates a year.
Fossils have shown dates thrived 50 million years ago. Humans have been cultivating them for 6,000 years. Hundreds of varieties are grown worldwide, twelve in the States. Of those, over 90% of the total US crop are grown in the Coachella Valley.
Althought they have been in the US since the 18th century when the Spaniards planted them around their missionaries, it wasn't until the early 1900s that the Medjool variety was brought here to the US, specifically in 1927 when a fungal disease threatened to decimate the Moroccan industry and 11 offshoots were brought to the US by a horticulturalist.
After a seven-year quarantine in Nevada, the nine surviving plants were sent to Southern California. Those original nine plants are the ancestors of the millions of Medjool date palms that grow in California today.
The nickname for Medjool dates is the "King of Dates", and boy do they live up to it! Medjool dates are a deep amber-brown with crinkly skin and a glow of their own. The sticky flesh melts in your mouth, and their perfect mix of sweetness reminds you of caramel ... honey ... cinnamon!
Based on taste and melt-in-your-mouth texture, the Medjool date is definitely the "King of Dates" - and it is easy to understand why these dates were actually reserved for Moroccan royalty.
To store Medjools, leave them covered on the counter for up to a week or place them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to six months.
THIS PRODUCT IS PACKAGED IN A FACILITY THAT ALSO HANDLES WHEAT FLOUR, SOY FLOUR, TREE NUTS, PEANUTS, CHOCOLATE (MILK), AND OTHER ALLERGENS