Few of our compatriots saw with their own eyes how dates grow, but their taste is familiar to most, if not all. This overseas treat can be bought at almost every grocery store. The sweet tooth drinks tea with them, slices of dried fruit are added to oatmeal, and the chopped date pulp with nuts becomes an excellent filling for sweet puff pastries. And they also prepare salads, compotes, homemade cookies, pies and cakes.
And this is not surprising, because the date is not only very tasty, but also extremely useful product. It contains vitamins, minerals and nutrients that normalize the work of the human body. In addition, a whole list of healing and even magical properties is attributed to these small fruits.
Where Dates Grow
In Russia, we see these sweet dried fruits mainly on store shelves. Date palms (as you might guess, they give us these fruits) grow mainly in a hot, arid climate and do not like sharp seasonal temperature changes. Therefore, in our country, you can admire the beauty of this pinnate plant only south of the Caucasus Mountains. In Sochi, they lined whole alleys. Palm trees even bear fruit there, but the harvest is rather meager: only small dates, devoid of juicy sweet pulp, grow.
The cultivation of these fruits on an industrial scale for our country is impractical.
History of Date Palms
The birthplace of the date palm - the desert of Africa and Asia. It is reliably known that the date plant was cultivated in the IV century BC. e. in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). This culture is also common in the territory of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. Residents of these countries know how dates grow, firsthand, and more than 7,000 years ago.
Since ancient times, these fruits have been one of the staple foods in the diet of Arabs. Their importance for the inhabitants of the East is comparable to the value of bread for the Russians. Dates are eaten raw, boiled and dried. In addition to the fruits themselves, young buds and foliage, seeds and even the core of the trunk are eaten. The latter, by the way, is considered a very expensive delicacy, because the removal of the core leads to the death of the plant.
Tourists visiting the bazaars of the East, note the colorful variety and abundance of goods on display. What is there only: jewelry, fabrics, dishes, all kinds of spices and goodies. Among the latter, dates are very often offered. It is hard to say where these fruits grow in the wild: all palm trees have long been cultivated.
World leaders in sales
Technically, you can grow date palms in any hot region, but industrial production is possible only in Central Asia.
Dates are a very profitable product. It sells well, and each such tree gives stable rich crops for 60-80 years. There are about 17 varieties of date palms. Many of them reach 40 meters in height. It perfectly demonstrates how dates grow, the photo presented below.
Today, Saudi Arabia is considered the main exporter of this valuable product. They collect more than 800 thousand dates a year. Its market share for this product is 20%.
The most delicious dates
The quality of the fruit depends primarily on the variety. At the moment there are a lot of them. The most delicious is rightfully considered deglet nur. On these palm trees, perfectly soft, sweet and literally melting dates are born in the mouth. Where they grow does not really matter. The main thing is that you can buy and try them.
Unfortunately, in Russia you can enjoy only dried fruits. Fresh fruits are very moody, it is problematic to transport them. In addition, the price of dried fruit is significantly lower. If the opportunity arises, be sure to try a fresh date. There is no way to convey his taste!
Beliefs about dates
As already mentioned, the inhabitants of the East have known these fruits for millennia. Dates are firmly established in the culture of the Arab world. As a result, they began to ascribe a whole list of healing and magical properties.
Date palms are incredibly fertile, the number of fruits collected from one tree is sometimes amazing. Therefore, the plant began to ascribe the ability to increase fertility. To get pregnant soon, women build talismans from the bones of the mentioned fruits and pieces of the trunk. And men who seek to increase their sexual strength always carry dates with them.
Where do palm trees grow? Where the climate is milder. It is not clear why, only the local people perceived the opposite: it was believed that these trees contribute to good natural conditions. Therefore, there is a belief that the area where date palm trees grow is reliably protected from the weather, and the leaves of the plant protect the home from demons and evil spirits. East is a delicate matter...
The benefits of dates
These fruits contain an incomparable amount of vitamins and minerals. Here are just a few of them:
vitamin A (strengthens the eye muscles);
Vitamin B1 (supports the nervous system);
Vitamin B2 (effectively burns fats, proteins and carbohydrates, while the body receives the necessary energy);
folic acid (participates in the formation of blood cells and amino acids);
potassium (transporting oxygen from the lungs to the brain, maintains blood pressure);
calcium and phosphates (protect against osteoporosis, are actively involved in the formation of the baby's musculoskeletal system during pregnancy). There is an opinion that the balance of all nutrients in the body of an adult can be maintained with a single date and a glass of milk per day.
The minerals contained in the fruits we are considering are the main building material for dental tissues. Therefore, from ancient times the Bedouins had strong, healthy teeth. And they persisted until old age. Unlike the peoples of Europe, who did not even see in their eyes how dates grow.
Separately, it must be said that the use of delicious dried fruit is not contraindicated for diabetics, since the fructose they contain is radically different from sugars in other vegetables and fruits.
Dates and diets
For those who constantly monitor their forms, adhere to moderate nutrition, dates can become best friends. Only 23 calories are contained in one fruit, but at the same time it is so sweet that it can easily replace a full-fledged dessert. In addition, the use of dates with a limited diet will help to obtain useful substances that the body lacks.
Dates at home
You can see how dates grow, even living in a small city apartment. Growing a palm tree out of bone is not a big deal. So...
The bone should be thoroughly dried, then scrubbed a little and soaked in hot water for several days. It should swell a little. Then it should be laid in a box with damp sawdust, pour plenty of water and place in a warm place. She should stay there for about a month, while sawdust should be regularly moistened.
After a month, the first sprout will appear from the sawdust. The sprouted seed should be transplanted into a pot (not lower than 7 cm in height). The earth mixture is prepared from one part of turf, humus, peat and two parts of sand.
In the process of transplantation, in no case can the bone be separated from the sprout, since it is still a breeding ground for the new plant.
Now you need to be patient, because the plant will need a lot of time for development. When the future palm tree reaches 10 cm in height, it should be transplanted into a new pot. It is best to move the sprout along with an earthen lump so as not to injure the delicate roots.
Until the age of five, the plant is transplanted once a year, then the interval should be increased to 2-3 years. Each time, slightly increase the volume of turf in the earthen mixture. Palm trees older than 15 years should be replanted no more than once every five years.
When choosing a pot, preference should be given to high forms, since date palms, like most desert plants, have long roots. The plant prefers diffused lighting, do not place it in direct sunlight or at partial shade.
Of course, the process of growing palm trees at home will require a large margin of patience. But the result will exceed all expectations. A beautiful plant will grow in the house, and its owner will probably know the answer to the question of how dates grow.