How to taste the rare dates grown at ASU
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Photo: Courtesy of Sphinx Date Co.
Rare varieties of dates grown by ASU professors, students and volunteers will soon be available for purchase at Sphinx Date Co. Palm & Pantry in Scottsdale.
Driving the news: Sphinx Date Co. has partnered with ASU's Date Grove Germplasm, which cultivates and harvests more than 40 varieties of "soft dates" at its Polytechnic Campus in east Mesa.
- Harvesting typically begins in late September and continues through October, per the company's website.
Why it matters: ASU's date palm grove is the largest and one of the most genetically diverse collections in the Western Hemisphere, according to ASU News.
- The USDA prohibited importation of date palm shoots in 1929 to prevent fungus and pest outbreaks, so the only way to maintain rare varieties today is to grow them locally.
Flashback: Dozens of date varieties once grew across the Salt River Valley, but as farming grew more commercialized, the easier-to-harvest Medjool date became the date of choice here and across the U.S.
- ASU has brought back many of the dates once popular in metro Phoenix and even discovered its own variety, called the "ASU cultivar," which will be available at Sphinx Date Co., the company said in a news release.
What they're saying: "This partnership serves as a crucial way for us to educate our customers on the significance of dates to Arizona's economy as well as their place in Phoenix history," Sphinx Date Co. co-owner Rebecca Seitz says.
- "The ASU grove is not only educating the community and students on dates, but also preserving these less common types for future generations."
What we're watching: Their website and Instagram account for harvest updates.