Date Me!

Date Tree

I am in love with dates. Always have been, always will be. I especially like the Medjool Dates from Vitamin Cottage- they keep them in the fridge and I find them fresher than the ones in the bulk section at Whole Foods.

Bisr Dates at Market

A little history from our pal, Wikipedia...
Dates have been a staple food of the Middle East for thousands of years. They are believed to have originated around the Persian Gulf, and have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt, possibly as early as 4000 BCE. The Ancient Egyptians used the fruits to be made into date wine, and ate them at harvest. There is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in eastern Arabia in 6000 BCE. (Alvarez-Mon 2006). In later times, Arabs spread dates around South and South West Asia, northern Africa, and Spain and Italy. Dates were introduced into Mexico and California by the Spaniards by 1765, around Mission San Ignacio.

Well then, time to make something delicious with these ancient dried fruits.

Spinach Salad with Dates, Walnuts & Raw Summer Squash

By looking at the photo, you can probably figure out how to make this salad.

Spinach leaves, torn up a bit

Dates, pitted and sliced

Summer Squash, sliced/chopped

Green Onion, sliced

Annie's Organics Sesame Ginger dressing

Walnuts, slightly toasted

Combine all ingredients and toss together. Eat outside if at all possible.