Cultured Country Girl: Dates...What do you do with them?

Ok, so let's clarify to begin with...dates, as in the fruit, not an outing with someone to see if you are compatible! LOL What do you do with dates? We have our very own date palm tree in our tiny little back yard. When we first got here about a month ago, they were NOT ripe! Clay climbed up the tree and picked a few to try. Well since none of us were familier with them, we weren't sure if they were ripe or not. I really didn't think that they were but no one wanted to listen to mom! Go figure! Well Clay popped an unripened date into his mouth and commenced to gagging and coughing.... he spit it out and said I need something to drink!! His mouth was sooooo dry, the unripened date had given him cottonmouth! LOL Well he couldn't be alone in that adventure so Joshua decided to see what the big deal was! He too sputtered and coughed and needs something to drink... and a lot of it!!!

So now a month later, the dates are ripe! It is the fruit of the area and used to end the day of fasting for the Muslims during Ramadan. They pray, then break their fast by eating a date and drinking water!

I have already mentioned that during Ramadan, the restaurants are closed during the day but open each evening after about 7pm. We went out to eat the other night and we were served dates as soon as we sat down. Clay looked at the little dish of dates, and then looked at me.... He said, "They definitely don't look the same... I will give it a shot!" So we all tried a date... They were actually pretty good! Clay has decided that he loves them! He is constantly wanting to buy them at the store or find them ripe on the trees..... So my plan is this, to find a recipe that I can use these dates in! Why not? We have them, they are falling like pecans all over the ground... What do Texans do with pecans when they find them on the ground? Why we pick 'em up and make a pie!!! So we are going to gather some dates, take out the seeds, and find some way to prepare them! If you haven't ever had a ripe date, they have a slightly yet not over powering sweet flavor and very smooth caramel like texture.

Stay tuned for the recipe that I choose! I may even do more than one... watch out!!! Living on the edge!!