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Email Pato at PATOZDRM@aol.com 
August 2009 Newsletter

Dear Friends of Pato's Dream Date Gardens,

Our 2009 crop of organically grown dates from our 5-acre farm in the Coachella Valley of California is almost ready for harvesting.  Our first picking will be the Marianas (in the khalaal stage), ready in mid-August.  The Black Sphinx and Barhis (khalaal stage) should be ready in early and mid-September.  The new crop of halawis and medjhools should be ready by the end of September and early October.  When ordering 2-lb. boxes, we ship in flat-rate priority mail postal boxes, so it saves you and us on shipping to order 2 or 4 boxes at a time.  ( For year end delivery, we will ship orders received on or before December 14, 2009, and will resume shipments January 4, 2010.)   We continue to offer our dates at the Alhambra Farmers Market most Sundays through about April, and on -line at www.localharvest.org web site (or, with a check, direct from Pato's).

GOT POTASSIUM? 

A new study suggests that consuming twice as much potassium as sodium can halve your risk of dying from cardio-vascular disease (see LATIMES.COM/HEALTH, p. F3 from 2/23/09).  Most Americans have high sodium (salt) content in their diets, often causing high blood pressure.  The new study stresses the benefits of cutting back on salt and increasing potassium.  Bananas and dates are two of the fruits highest in potassium.  Eat more dates and control that blood pressure and live longer!

Best wishes from Doug and Debbie Adair and the workers of Pato's Dream Date Gardens.

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Khalaal Dates, 2009 harvest 

Pato's will offer organically grown fresh picked dates, including Barhis, in the khalaal stage, for mail order purchase, for 8 weeks only, August 1-September 30, 2009.    Dates in the Khalaal stage are still crunchy, like an apple.  The color is usually yellow (or magenta - purple in the case of Black Sphinx).  As they continue to ripen after picking, they begin to turn amber and brown (or black), turning very soft in the rutab stage.  (If left on the palm, they continue to ripen from the rutab to their final stage, tamar, and then begin to lose moisture, becoming firm enough to ship, and then chewy). The flavor of dates in the khalaal stage can be on the tart side, pucker your mouth like a persimmon, unless picked very close to ripening, and then a very special flavor.  (I wait for a brown spot to appear to tell me they are ready, but many palates prefer them earlier than that).  Put them in the fridge to hold them in the khalaal stage a little longer, or hang them out in kitchen, porch, or sukkah to continue ripening.  (Keep dry and airy to avoid mold).

Best wishes for 2009,

Doug and Debbie Adair and the workers of Pato's Dream Date Gardens 

 

 

 

 

Email Pato at PATOZDRM@aol.com