Medjool dates
Nearly every Medjool in the country is grown in the desert two hours from here, in the Coachella and Bard valleys, and they're picked from late summer through October. The ones arriving now are this year's — soft, glossy, and much better than the ones that have been sitting since last fall.
How to choose it
- Plump and glossy, with skin that clings to the fruit
- Soft enough to dent with a thumb
- No crystallized sugar on the surface — that's age
- If they're sold in a clear container, squeeze it; it should give
Buy this much: 1 lb. They last for months in the fridge, so this is more about having them than using them up.
Bulk bins are usually cheaper than the boxed ones, and you can see what you're getting.
During the week
- Torn into the salad beside the fish in parchment
- Chopped into the date-feta relish for pork
- Torn into the October salad
- Split and salted, after dinner
On a weekend
Torn into the October salad, beside the seared fish.
One thing worth learning
A date is a fresh fruit that happens to dry well, not a dried fruit. Growers let them cure on the palm in the desert heat, which is why they're soft and sticky rather than leathery. Once you've eaten a new-crop Medjool, you'll notice the difference in the ones that aren't.