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The Yuma area is the Medjool date capitol of the Western Hemisphere ... here are produced the most famous of fresh dates, the very large and succulent Royal Medjool ... these dates come from palms that are not grown from seeds but from offshoots which are actually suckers growing out of the base of the Mother palm ... offshoots are chosen over seeds because they will produce fruit superior in size and quality ... from the time the offshoot is removed from the Mother tree and planted, it takes ten years of devoted care before the palm reaches full production which is about 200 pounds of dates per tree per year ...
The first Medjool dates were planted in Yuma the same year I was born - 1948 ... each palm must be climbed approximately 18 times per year to carry out the many hand operations which include pollination, thinning the bunches, separating the strands of fruit with wire rings to promote better air circulation, and finally protecting the bunches of dates with cotton sacks about one month before selectively harvesting the dates into special cotton baskets ... the dates are then taken to a packinghouse where they are graded by hand and carefully hand packed ...
Earlier this week, a farmer friend brought me about 20 pounds of this luscious fruit ... Kathleen found this old recipe yesterday in the kitchen of the outdoor restaurant she co-manages during our Fall, Winter, and Spring tourist season here in Yuma ... after I left for work this morning, she whipped it up and brought it by the packinghouse for all of us to try with our morning coffee ... IT WAS WONDERFUL !
1 C Heaping full of fresh coarsely diced dates (Kathleen used almost 1 1/2 cups)
4 Fresh large lemons
1 C Sugar
1/2 C Sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 C Water
Unbaked pastry for a double crust pie
Preheat oven to 400 degrees ... pare the lemons making sure to remove the white membrane ... slice the lemons into fairly thin cartwheels ... combine the sugar and the flour ... line a regular (not deep dish) 9-inch pie plate with half the pastry ... sprinkle a layer of sugar mixture on the pastry shell ... then add a layer of lemon slices, a layer of diced dates, and a layer of the sugar mixture ... repeat layers ending with lemon slices with a bit of the sugar mixture ... sprinkle the water over the top ... then arrange remaining pastry over the top and seal ... poke a few holes in the top crust for venting ... bake about 40 mintues ... remove from oven and let cool to set up ...
Serves 8
Clink !
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