In California and Middle Eastern countries, the end of summer is celebrated with the harvest of the date, the sweet fruit of a palm tree.

When most of us think of a date, it’s the brown shriveled version that’s soft as butter and sweet as butterscotch, but there’s a four-week period where the first harvest of unripened dates are desired by some date connoisseurs.

“We don’t pick the dates until they start to turn from green to yellow,” said Alvaro Bautista. When the dates are picked at this time they are called khalal, or the firm stage of ripeness. They have a bitter quality to them and the texture of a crunchy apple.

“Even though the khalal dates are bitter you still get a hint of the cinnamon, coconut and sugarcane flavors to come,” Bautista said.
You can buy a branch of these khalal dates and let them hang in your window sill and taste them throughout the month as they ripen and become darker. This stage is called the rutab, when the dates become soft and have the more familiar sweet caramel flavor.

“In Persian cultures, the khalal dates are picked at the end of their religious fasting (Ramadan,)” Bautista said.

“The sugar level in dates is very high, but your body will digest it naturally as opposed to a spoonful of processed sugar,” he added.

Bautista is the second generation to run the farm along with his father, Enrique who started it 12 years ago. The ranch offers seven varieties of dates such as Barhi, Halaway and Khadrawy. Each has a unique and intense level of sugar. The farm also sells dried date paste that may be ground and used just like sugar; or dried pieces that are easy to toss into cereal, oatmeal or yogurt.

Dates are also a good for paring on a cheese board with salty olives, toasted flatbreads and tangy goat and sheep’s milk cheeses such as feta and pecorino. You can also make your own trail mix by mixing dates with nuts, raisins and dried cranberries.

Bautista also explained that dates are very high in fiber and very helpful in relieving constipation and other intestinal disorders. Bautista also said that eating one dried date per day will give a person a full day’s suggested supply of vitamins and fiber.

Please feel free to share stories and recipes of the items you find interesting at the market. If you see me strolling about, please say hello.
See you next week at the market!

The Hollywood Farmers Market is located at the intersection of Ivar and Selma avenues, between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards. Rain or shine, it is open every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is a certified open-air street market with approximately 100 farmers, 30 local artisans and 40 baked-goods and prepared-food vendors who sell their products every Sunday. It is a direct-to-consumer marketplace with all produce and products from local, California vendors and growers.

Parking: Cinerama Dome: $3 for first two hours with validation available at the information booth at Ivar and DeLongpre avenues. Metered parking: Check parking enforcement signs. Some meters free until 11 a.m. on Sundays.

Dog Sitting: Only tagged assistance dogs are allowed at the market, but this shouldn’t stop others from walking their dogs to the public event. There’s a dog sitting service provided at the corner of Ivar and Vine streets. Your prized pooch will get to socialize with other dogs while you do your shopping at the market. It charges a small fee of $5 per 20 minutes.