Last week we received dates from the growing season that just ended. They arrived on a large pallet which we nicely unloaded and which filled our new cooling room completely 🙂
Sweet, sweet and low in calories
Dates in our country are taken for granted, perhaps because they've accompanied us since biblical times. Date palm branches adorn our national symbols and represent abundance. The date palm also has traditional significance in Christian and Islamic symbology.
However, dates are also known for their health properties. Dates are unique indeed. They are sweet sweet yet considered healthy for the teeth, but the fat percentage is very low (0.02% in dates compared to about 25% in chocolate) and therefore its caloric value is about half that of chocolate. Also, you won’t believe it, but it has been written that dates are dietetic.
Moreover, dates contribute to nutritional balance and prevent obesity because of their high dietary fiber content. The rate of absorption of date carbohydrates in the blood (glycemic index) is medium to low and therefore they give a feeling of satiety.
The date is a real natural health snack. It is a whole food, ripened on the tree naturally (without the need for any processing) filled with minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc. They are rich in vitamins A and B and antioxidants.
The date honey, Silan, is, according to many scholars, the honey mentioned in the Bible. It is not the honey from bees, which we call honey.
From Where and how?
The dates’ origin is probably from Iraq (once called Mesopotamia) and the tree likes to grow in desert conditions. In Israel most of the date palms grow in the Jordan Valley and the Arava. Israel is a huge exporter of dates to Europe.
The dates we get are organically grown in kibbutz Samar. Here is a short video showing the gadid (date harvest ) there. The harvesting staff is made up of local residents and volunteers only.
The process of growing dates begins in January-February by gathering male flowers which are used to fertilize the female flowers. During the spring when the dates are still small the branches of fruit are thinned and in summer the bunches are tied and wrapped. Early fall the harvest begins and a little later they arrive to us.
So what is your preferred Samar date?
Tamar Zhidi
Light colored, medium size date. Relatively dry. Richer than other kinds in dietary fiber and iron.
Barhi honey
Small, round, honey-brown Fruit. A rich caramel flavor.
Soft, squishy and easy to peel and therefore very suitable for the preparation of food for children and healthy "sweets".
For example:
May everyone have a sweet as honey week (date honey, of course!(
Maggie, Michelle and garden staff
I expect in this weeks baskets:
A chunk of Pumpkin
Lettuce
Eggplants- might be the last of the season ..
Cabbage
Celery
Dutch cucumbers
Tomatoes
Dill
Fennel
And grapefruits
Larger ones also:
Coriander
Parsley
Sweet Potatoes
And chard
Fruit baskets:
Oranges
Sweeties
And tangerines
Larger ones also:
Bananas
And avocadoes
