Hey there my food-loving pals! Between #fruitsandveggiesmonday turning two, and #fff hitting the year mark, there's lots to celebrate in the Steem food world! Though Fridays tend to get a bit busy, I couldn't miss jumping in to the action for another 
Now you might be thinking from my title that I'd be sharing a restaurant meal with 
Dates! Lots and lots of dates!
20 pounds of them to be exact. My fruits and veggies peeps know how much I love these sweet, fruity gems. I most often just eat them as a snack as is, but they are also fantastic to use in recipes as a healthier sugar replacement. My pal 
There are quite a few different sites that you can purchase from, but I opted to check out Oasis Date Gardens first. The ranch was founded in 1912 with a really neat family history. Check out their site for more information if you'd like to read about it. They also have descriptions of all the different kinds of dates that they grow. I actually found it fascinating to read more about the growing process, as well. They hand pollinate the trees, and also have to cover the fruit in bags while it is maturing so that bugs and other pests don't get to it. Then each crop is hand-picked, as well. No wonder they aren't cheap!
In case that doesn't impress you enough, dates are extremely healthy to incorporate into a well-rounded diet. I actually almost used them as a topic for my 
For whatever reason, these little guys just make my heart happy, as well. I am trying to curb my spending habits and try to continually improve the sustainability of my choices, so when I do splurge on something I want it to really be worth it. These definitely fit the bill as they were much more affordable than most organic dates in the stores here, and buying in bulk means much less packaging and waste. There's just something awesome about knowing my freezer is full of these and the other local fruit we picked this summer. I am one happy fruit lover right now!
So what varieties did I opt for?
Barhi might just be my new favorite! Holy moly these ones are creamy, rich and delicious! At first bite they seem to be similar to Medjool, but then a burst of caramel flavor comes oozing out as you start to chew. These are really soft, so they will most likely be best enjoyed straight from the box for a healthy treat, or I may also make date caramel to drizzle over literally everything as I can see it coming out really similar to traditional caramel with that killer flavor. I'm not mad at all that I have 10 pounds of these to go through. Why such a big box? They were having a deal too good to pass up on the larger boxes as they will be getting in to the new harvest in just a few months. The good thing is dates last for quite a long time in the refrigerator, and even longer in the freezer so none of these will go to waste.
My second choice was the Golden Zahidi variety. I knew the others would be pretty soft, so I wanted a firmer type to be able to work with in things like energy bites and granola bars. These will definitely hold up for some cooked preparations, though the flavor is quite delicious, as well. These are more similar to the Deglet Noor I've had in the past, though much better than the packaged ones from the grocery store!
I've already frozen half of each box, but I'm planning on figuring out how to use some of these this weekend. Some will be going right into my bliss balls that I'm making for my nutrition event at work tomorrow! I'll definitely be sharing that recipe and a recap of the event afterwards. Always a fun time to share my love of good food with good people--either in person or here online! 😉
Hope you all have a fantastic (and delicious) weekend!
