Phoenix dactylifera -What kind of dates you eat?

[chayote]

Palm members, what kind of dates you eat and save seeds to grow?
I eat natural delights dates from Yuma, USA. I saved some of the seeds and try to spout them

[Howeadypsis]

I used to get Eat Me dates from Tunisia, but it's been a long time since I had any. I have grown a couple of stones from them too.

[Pal Meir]

I ate at Xmas 1957 Algerian dates and got as output my first palm tree:

[Howeadypsis]

I ate at Xmas 1957 Algerian dates and got as output my first palm tree:

Phoenix dactylifera 1977-04-10.jpg

Very nice!

[chayote]

anyone eat other uncommon dates varieties like halawaii, Shishi, barhee, Zahidi etc?

[Pal Meir]

I don’t know where the dates came from my great-great-grandmother ate and planted at the end of the 19th century (she died at the age of 102):

[Kai]

I dont know where the dates came from my great-great-grandmother ate and planted at the end of the 19th century (she died at the age of 102):

Eleonore ca 1900.jpg

We just found the secret of reaching very old age here at palmtalk it seems! I'm buying myself a pack of dates first thing tomorrow!

[dalmatiansoap]

Only Tunisean varieties can be found in our markets. Mostly Deglet Noor. Have to find myself a decent Medjool.

Kai, its already tomorrow!

[Howeadypsis]

Whats a Medjool?

Edited August 2, 2015 by Howeadypsis

[Al in Kona]

My favorite dates are the Mejool variety. They are large, succulent and so deliciously sweet. I've heard dates are very nutritious too so we usually try to always have some to snack on (keep them in the refrigerator as they stay fresh longer that way for us). Whenever we are in the date growing areas of S. California or Arizona we like to stop and enjoy a date shake.

[Howeadypsis]

Slightly OT but what other palms produce edible fruits? Obviously coconut but others?

[Pal Meir]

Slightly OT but what other palms produce edible fruits? Obviously coconut but others?

Butias produce apricots together with coconuts

[Howeadypsis]

Butias produce apricots? Explain?

[Pal Meir]

Butias produce apricots? Explain?

The "pindo dates" taste like apricots (or peaches) ;-) And the seeds loke coconuts.

[Howeadypsis]

Oh sounds good to me

[_Keith]

I dont know where the dates came from my great-great-grandmother ate and planted at the end of the 19th century (she died at the age of 102):

Eleonore ca 1900.jpg

Awesome picture and story.

[chayote]

edible palm fruit? Acai (Euterpe oleracea) join in the trend and become very popular
People doesn't know Butia, but most of them know acai, go to supermarket buy acai powder to use

[Howeadypsis]

Hmm I'm vaguely familiar with Acai , I think I've heard it in a TV ad for shampoo

Edited August 3, 2015 by Howeadypsis

[Kai]

Other edible palmfruits are Salak (Salacca ...), some Astrocaryum species like A. vulgare, Attalea maripa, some Bactris species, Syagrus schizophylla, Parajubaea and Jubaea seeds can be cracked and eaten and lots more I think. These are the species that I ate myself or heard of people eating them.

[Howeadypsis]

Quite a few then! Never heard of Salak before.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Howeadypsis

[sergiskan]

I eat deglet noor, medjoul, zahidi..., but so far for me the best ones are sukkari from Arabia Saudi.

I grow some ones from seed, but I don't know if the offsprings keep the quality..., may be is difficult.

[Tyrone]

I'm going to try a few Medjool that I've grown from packet bought dates. They're meant to be an early variety with a lower heat requirement than some of the others. Of course from seed they may differ from the parent plants. But that doesn't matter.

[yabazid]

This was a date I ate two years ago. I was eating dates I got from the UAE. Anyways, I ate so many and threw all the seeds all over my yard. That was in the winter, and by summer I had sprouting seedlings everywhere. Of course I didn't try to transplant knowing they will eventually die in my zone 8a. By winter they all died sadly except for one. And it's amazing it didn't. I expect that bcz its next to my brick house wall.

It's growing in red clay soil with some mulch I put around it. It's almost two years old and about to go through its second winter.

[chayote]

tyrone, how many years you grow from supermarket date seeds to mature trees?
Lets see hows your date taste, how it is different from the parents one (supermarket one)

[grant b.]

Whenever we are in the date growing areas of S. California or Arizona we like to stop and enjoy a date shake.

Al, you must be referring to Hadley Farms? What a great place to get a variety of dates, and an even better place to get their famous date shakes. I get mine with banana.

[Shoowow]

Pindo dates from Butias are delicious. They used to sell it in stores here when I was a kid. I also used to pick them up and eat the fruit and then crack the nut and eat the meat inside.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Shoowow

[chayote]

I think most people only remember coconut, acai, dates, saw palmetto as they have promotions

Many if them doesn't know oil palm etc other economicical palm trees

Livistona chinensis seeds can be used in anticancer, very fabulous

[Tyrone]

tyrone, how many years you grow from supermarket date seeds to mature trees?

Lets see hows your date taste, how it is different from the parents one (supermarket one)

I only germinated them a few months ago. If they fruit it will be great. I doubt I could grow high quality fruit though, even though my temps are OK. Dates need to ripen in a dry atmosphere and heavy rain ruins them from a commercial aspect. It can start raining here in March and the humid atmosphere once it rains may not be to the fruits liking. Dry weather (virtually no rain) is needed until about June (southern hemisphere) Still Medjool is an early variety and can be picked while still hard, so who knows. As for how long from a seedling to fruiting, I think it's between 7-10 years in a good warm climate. They don't need to trunk to fruit either.

[chayote]

I bought many barhee from g collective (desert fruit company) at the end june, I just stored those fruit in fridge for a month already, I am wonder if they will stay in good shape
I just ate several barhee and they still very sweet. I saved the seeds and try to germinate them
I also have some barhee seeds keep staying in my germination bag for few weeks already but not yet germinate due to cold weather

Edited August 7, 2015 by chayote

[Howeadypsis]

So many different types of dates!

[chayote]

yes, common one are medjool, barhee, Zahidi, halawi date etc, uncommon like shishi , Nabut Saif etc

[Howeadypsis]

I take it they're just different varieties of P.dactylifera?

[GMann]

Slightly OT but what other palms produce edible fruits? Obviously coconut but others?

Butias produce apricots together with coconuts

Queen palm fruit tastes like a mix between mango and banana but very sticky.

[chayote]

GMann, Syagrus (queen palm)? I don't have courage to try
Perth got too much syagrus romanzoffiana, one of the people told me her syagrus seeds fall of from the tree, attracted a lot of mice, so the neighbour complain about her
She has no idea that palm trees will form fruit

Howeadypsis, yes, phoenix dactylifera has a lot of varieities, barhee, medjool, halawi etc, just like lettuce have buttercrunch, iceberg, cos lettuce etc
I am wonder if my barhee seeds will grow a tree with tasty fruit. Because coast road palm owner tell me that sucker/offshoot doesn't work well in perth due to the weather, the one from seeds shows better resistance to the bad climate

[Howeadypsis]

Cool info

[chayote]

My sis bought halawi in UK when she were studied, howeadypsis, maybe you can find some halawi dates in tesco, eat them and save seeds, then plant them well to see how they were look like

[_Keith]

You mean there are different kinds of Dates?

Just kidding. Hoping to get my hands on some Black Sphinx this year.

[Hammer]

Medjools from the Bard Valley near the California - Arizona border.

[DCdesertpalm]

www.shieldsdategarden.com

This place is 3 miles from my house.

Check it out!!!

[Xerarch]

I've tried many kinds of dates, one of the varieties that has not been mentioned yet that is good is the thoory (thuri) date. It is one of the more dry dates but has an excellent nutty/caramel flavor, wish I had some now that I'm thinking about it.

Also while talking dates, don't forget that they can be eaten in the khalal stage as well, this is when the date is still plump and crunchy and has not dried out into the form you always see in the supermarket. I ordered some khalal stage barhi dates a few years back, they were good, like eating a whole different kind of fruit.