This post is continued from my previous one here.

After picking the dates, we got to go to Datepac to see how the dates were packaged. Fun fact: Datepac just so happens to be the largest Medjool date packing and marketing facility in the United States.

Each crate color represents the garden and section from which the dates were picked from. Upon walking into the warehouse, you immediately smell the sweet scent in the air. It was like walking into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory!

The packaging process is very similar to the harvesting process because both are labors of love. The dates are hand sorted multiple times in order to separate the acceptable and unacceptable dates.

Who knew that there could be so much variety in such a little fruit? The moisture content, the wrinkling of the skin, and the size all play contributing factors when it comes to sorting the dates. They get divided into jumbo, large, extra fancy, fancy, mini, and confection.

After hand picking out the unacceptable dates, the dates go through a computerized system that organizes the dates depending on their size. After taking a picture of each individual fruit, a gust of air will shoot the date off of the conveyer belt into the appropriate size category. It was amazing watching this in person– mostly because of how fast the process went and how accurate the computer is.

The reason that the workers don’t wear any gloves is because they have to feel them in order to sort them. You can’t tell how moist or dry the fruit is with gloves on.

As for the dates that aren’t quite pretty enough for the boxes (and they have a darn high standard!), they throw them into this machine to ground the fruit into rolls.

Here, you can see their pistachio rolls being covered and cut.

We were then put to the test at the end of the Datepac tour and had to sort dates ourselves in an assembly line with the conveyer belt running. Let me tell you, it’s way harder than it looks! We were doing it on an extra slow speed and I still thought we were moving too fast. It was definitely like a scene from “I Love Lucy.” Your hands have to move as fast as your eyes, and you’d have to know the difference between the dates without hesitation.

There is just so much to know about dates and I’m still learning! Let me spread some knowledge:

• Dates are possibly the oldest cultivated fruit. They’re also a fresh fruit that’s essentially shelf stable.
• They’re high in fiber. Just two dates provide 13% of your daily fiber (3 grams).
• They’re low on the glycemic index, meaning your blood sugar level remains more stable with sustained energy. No sugar crashes here!
• They’re fat and cholesterol free, making them a great snack.
• As if that’s not enough good to convince you to start eating dates, they’re also high in polyphenols, which can help fight against cancers.

Aside from dates, we also go to visit the Yuma sand dunes and the Mexican border.

We also had a smoothie competition where I was paired up with Caroline. We didn’t win, but it was still fun!

For our last night in Yuma, we had a dinner cooking demonstration by the wonderful Chef Alex Trujillo. Everything that he made was mouth watering and the venue was the most adorably festive kitchen I’ve ever seen.

Here’s a peak of our dinner… and that wan’t even all of the courses! I’m still dreaming about that meal.

Right before my flight back to San Francisco, I went on a tour of the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historical Park. It’s crazy how much history is in such a small building!

That about sums up my trip! I had such a great time and look forward to coming back sometime in the near future. If you’re ever in/around Bard Valley, make sure to try some Natural Delights Medjool Dates and check out their beautiful gardens!

You can also find Bard Valley Natural Delights Medjool Dates on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Last week (has it really already been a week?!), I had the pleasure of flying down to Bard Valley thanks to Natural Delights Medjool Dates. They hosted a summit where seven other food bloggers and I got to truly experience the delight of Medjool date production and meet the people behind it all.

I have A LOT of pictures from the trip, so I’m breaking it down into two posts. You may have even already seen a sneak peak from the trip through Instagram! I flew into Yuma, Arizona, where I was welcomed by the piercing sun and gut wrenching heat. Lucky for us, the temperature we experienced was considered tame compared to the week before.

Let’s start out by introducing you to our little group of bloggers:

From left to right, top to bottom:

• Jackie– The Seaside Baker (photo credit for the group shot above!)
• Cynthia– Cynthia David
• Beth
• Alyssa– Everyday Maven
• Nicole– Pinch My Salt
• Caroline– Chocolate and Carrots
• Me– hi!
• Catherine– Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth
• Theresa– My Friend in Food

For my first summit ever, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of gals to be surrounded by for three days. I am so grateful to have met such an influential and genuine group of people. Do check out their blogs when you get a chance!

Now for part one… we got to pick our own dates from a date garden!

It truly is a labor of love. Every single date branch is wrapped in a bag to keep the birds and insects away from the fruit. It’s also effective in catching ripened dates that fall off before they get a chance to pick them. Not only do they have to climb up each tree individually and harvest the ripened dates from each bag, they have to do it multiple times a season in order to gather them all.

The pickers spend ten hours a day in the sun going up and down trees, gathering only the best.

We were put into a cherry picker to the very top of the date tree and got to pick our very own dates.

You may ask, “Why Bard Valley?” Well, the high water table from the Colorado River and the low humidity create a perfect environment for the growth of a Medjool date.

Safety first!

Photo credit for the above four photos: Stephen Spill

Left to right: Jackie, Caroline, Catherine

To harvest the dates, you have to untie each bag, grip the bottom, use your other hand to swirl the top of the branch around, and then catch all the dates that fall off. Then, you retie the bottom of the bag and move on to the next batch.

The dates are never treated with pesticides or preservatives, so you don’t have to worry about ruining their natural goodness.

Date gardens are an impeccable sight in person. Doesn’t it just look like a king’s backyard? Each date tree grows about a foot a year, so you can judge how old a tree is just by looking at their height.

We were then fortunate enough to go see “The Big Six.” “The Big Six” are essentially the mothers of Bard Valley since the other 250,000+ Medjool date trees sprouted from these six. You can tell just how big they are by looking at this next picture for comparison:

photo credit for above: Stephen Spill

We were off to River City Grill for lunch, where we had a custom date infused three course meal.

I’m still dreaming of that date caramelized creme brulee…

Next up: Packing and processing the Medjool dates!