HOT DATES by Ruth Morrison
Ripened under the hot desert sun for a full six months, dates are the sweetest fruits of
all. Date palm trees (phoenix dactylifera) require a very hot climate to produce fruit and have been cultivated in the Middle East, Egypt and Arabia for over six thousand years. Their roots need lots of water so the palms originally grew along river banks or around oasis in the desert. There are both male and female palms, but date farmers don't wait for the wind to spread the pollen from the male to the female trees. They cut the pollen-laden pistols off the male palms, then climb up the female palms and distribute the pollen to the flowers by human hand. In this fashion, a single male palm tree can fertilize 50 female trees. In ancient times, the farmers climbed the 15-25 meter high palms using only their arms and legs, but nowadays there are tall ladders to make the job easier and faster and instead of hands, they use pollen puffer machines to blow the pollen into the flowers.
Propagation of the palms from date seed takes from seven to ten years before fruiting, but the palm also produces suckers which grow into clones. These offshoots of the tree, when planted, mature up to four years faster than seedlings. Nowadays dates are cultivated in Algeria, Australia, Bahrain, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Iraq, India, Pakistan, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Southern California, Southern Yemen, the Sudan and Tunisia. Mature
date palms can produce 80-120 kilograms of dates per harvest season, but as the fruit ripens in four stages and not all at the same time, serveral harvests are needed. Farmers place bags over the date bunches to protect them from the weather and pests such as birds.
Dates are a good source of energy and very high in sugar - 100 grams of dried dates contain 63 grams of sugar and 1180 kilojoules of energy. Fresh dates also contain vitamin C, but less energy - 960 kilojoules per 100 grams. Dates are eaten fresh or dried and processed into cubes, paste, date syrup, vinegar and alcohol. They can be dehydrated, ground and mixed with grain for feed given to camels, horses and dogs. The flower buds are used in salads or ground with dried fish to make a condiment. Date seed oil is used in soap and cosmetics. If the edible, heart of the palm leaf is removed, the tree will die. Dates are used medically as a detersive (cleansing) and astringent in intestinal troubles, as an infusion or syrup for sore throats and to relieve fever. The versatile palm tree is used in
construction from rope and baskets to boats, bridges, beehives and posts and rafters for dwellings and any remaining wood can be burned as fuel.