Medjool Dates

I didn't know that they could be frozen. Thanx

That's who I ordered from.

Mine came in today.

I've never had fresh bulk dates before. Heck, I haven't had dates of any sort in decades. For a my light lunch I had 4 of them. Delicious!

When I would have dates it was always the sort that are packed like sardines from the supermarket and I remember them being drier with tougher skins. When looking them up on amazon I ran into one supplier who suggested opening up each date to make sure they weren't black inside, so as to not eat one with a worm inside. When breaking down the box of dates I could see each one. I saw no black dates. That doesn't mean that I won't open them up anyway since the pit needs to be removed.

Last fall, my parents and I had the chance to visit the China Ranch date farm, which is near Death Valley. (https://www.chinaranch.com/)

I was amazed at how many different varieties of dates they had available there. We bought a couple of different kinds to take home, and they were wonderful, indeed. Apparently, we missed out since we didn’t think to try their date shake. I learned afterward that it’s kind of a must-try when visiting…

Thanks for sharing your experience and the link, John!

When I was a kid, on our way back up the old Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego fishing trips, my dad and I would always hit one of the roadside stands selling date shakes. I've tried unsuccessfully to make them myself, unable to get the date bits to dissolve enough.

John, they sound good and I've been giving thought to putting them in a smoothie. Of course I have no idea what a date shake of your youth actually tasted like. But I did have a substitute "milk" years ago that contained medjool dates. It was delicious. If I ever make my substitute milk product again I might add one just to add a bit more complexity to the taste. It was pretty good just as it was in the original recipe though.

BTW, if anyone wants the recipe for the tree nut milk substitute, just let me know and I'll post it. I make it in a Vita-mix, but any blender will do, you might need to blend longer and maybe strain it though. It is by far the best milk substitute for drinking by the glass that I've ever tasted. I never tried it in coffee since I rarely drink it anymore.

When I was a kid, on our way back up the old Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego fishing trips, my dad and I would always hit one of the roadside stands selling date shakes.  I've tried unsuccessfully to make them myself, unable to get the date bits to dissolve enough.

It’s peculiar how difficult dates are to blend. Even using a high-power blender, the few times that I’ve used dates in a smoothie, there are always some bits left at the bottom of the blender jar.