Pulsegleaner
Garden Master
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2014
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- Location
- Lower Hudson Valley, New York
About once a year, we drive down to Chicago to shop the Oriental markets. On one of those trips, people were swarming around a particular display in the produce section. Curious as to what could be that good, I walked over to investigate. The table was covered with small oval-shaped fruits with green skin, about the size & shape of a medium-sized plum. It turned out they were fresh dates. I tried a couple, but was not impressed - I'd rather eat them in their dried form.
More likely based on the description those were "Chinese dates" a.k.a. jujubes (yes there is an actual fruit called a jujube. Fresh REAL dates are tan, and, unless fully ripe (by which time they have more or less dried out already) sort of starchy.
The Middle Eastern market near me carries something called King Solomon Bonbon dates in the frozen section. They are good and gooey. I sometimes wonder if these are the "Judean Dates" they reported getting to germinate from pits they found in an archeological dig.
Actually, until I started finding bags at the local Home Goods, I didn't know there was more than one kind of date. Turns out there are dozens all of which take a little different (some like sugar some like caramel and so on.)