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I had been buying medjool dates at a local Sam's club and they have the good, soft, chewy kind and the ones that look like we're taken from the tomb of king Tut. I was able to successfully germinate a few seeds, I have 5 left growing in pots.
Per their FAQ page, they are not frozen:"They're never frozen. After harvest, Bautista Dates are stored at 42-45°F, maintaining their exceptionally fresh flavor and texture."http://7hotdates.com/faq.html
Quote from: jegpg1 on November 30, 2016, 07:10:57 PMI had been buying medjool dates at a local Sam's club and they have the good, soft, chewy kind and the ones that look like we're taken from the tomb of king Tut. I was able to successfully germinate a few seeds, I have 5 left growing in pots.Are you growing them as ornamentals? The reason I ask, is because I believe they need 2-3 months off 100 degree weather to get enough sugar to be edible. Even here in the one of the hottest places in the US, some trees are always a little late to ripen before the cold(85 degree weather) sets in. You can spot these late comers because the top of the date is very light brown to yellow. These yellow end dates taste like blah.Also, if they get any prolonged humidity, the inside of the date will develop black spores. You can actually see a puff of black powder come out of them if you smash it with your hand. Every year the date farmers dread they will get any measurable rain right before or during harvest season.
45 degrees seems a little warm to be storing organic dates. Have you come across any moth larvae inside their dates? Most of the big packing sheds send their organic dates to the freezer immediately because they cannot fumigate them, this is vitally important during the latter half of the season so they can kill the eggs before they hatch.
No, I've not seen any larvae. That would probably not be popular with most buyers.Quote from: WaterFowler on November 30, 2016, 08:07:06 PM45 degrees seems a little warm to be storing organic dates. Have you come across any moth larvae inside their dates? Most of the big packing sheds send their organic dates to the freezer immediately because they cannot fumigate them, this is vitally important during the latter half of the season so they can kill the eggs before they hatch.
Well they must know what they are doing, I talked to a local rancher right now who lives in Mecca near them. He said they are the cream of the crop for small date ranchers, use only dates from their farm and run their farm in a way the big businesses can't compete with. He said they are family run, and use the same employees every year. He said they are what he aspires to be one day. I asked this guy what he had for sale. Showed me this 11# box for $28. Maybe not 7HotDates quality, but it's cheap. Unfortunately I only like non-hydrated deglets, super dry medjools and barhis.
September thru November is the best time of year to get dates. I wonder if these guys are still shipping dates that haven't been frozen and thawed. You can keep them at least 2 months(probably longer) at 33 degrees in low humidity without having to worry about them sugaring or getting mold.
Thanks for the tip Jeff.I ordered a dry pack, I'm looking for chewy, less sweet type.So far my favorites are the honey dates