On our recent trip through eastern California, we visited a date palm grove. It wasn’t far from Death Valley, and I remain (as always!) fascinated by all subjects related to food. Oh, I also adore dates! Eating dates must be like what drug addicts do when they shoot drugs into their veins (I’m not familiar with that, really, so I probably am not describing it right). But dates deliver a high rush of concentrated sugar in a very delicious form. I love them. So I couldn’t resist seeing how they are grown. We visited China Ranch, near Tecopa, California. As we left Death Valley (Oh, so aptly named!), we continued driving through landscapes that looked liked very much the same….. no vegetation, blazing hot. We followed the signs to China Ranch. What an interesting approach! The road went from paved to non-paved, and starting dropping into a very narrow canyon. After several miles, we suddenly (!) entered an oasis of lush, green palm trees. I now know where the name oasis comes from. Such a surprise. Notice the barren hills surrounding palm trees.
China Ranch Date Grove
I’m originally from Wisconsin. We don’t have deserts or palm trees. We do have very good desserts. But I really find it fascinating to see how food I like is grown. (why didn’t I join the FFA in high school???? I’m not sure. But I did graduate from the University of Wisconsin’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.) So, we drove into the date grove, and I was really surprised to find all these old clothes up in the trees. I read up later to find that as the dates ripen, they need to be protected from insects and birds
all dressed up with nowhere to go
cluster of dates
As we wandered through the date grove, I kept thinking about all the stories there must be in the trees. Perhaps my poet son-in-law Robb, or story teller daughter Carrie, know how to tell their tales. What happened to the little girl who wore that red gingham dress? Did the man with the striped dress shirt ever guess where his shirt ended up? Will my pillow cases have life on a date farm after they are done protecting my pillows? Does the Bethesda Thrift Store in Wausau, Wisconsin have a secret program providing protection to sensitive fruits? Are old clothes in date groves part of the witness protection program? Well, now I’m getting silly. Still, I enjoyed out visit. Next time I eat dates I will have a lot to think about.
12 Brix 