ASU's iconic Palm Walk is actually lined with date trees

Why it matters: The palm walk harvest is part of a larger ASU commitment to cultivating rare date trees for preservation and study, gardening professor Deborah Thirkhill tells Axios Phoenix.

Between the lines: Dozens of date varieties once grew across the Salt River Valley, but as farming became 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 with its east Mesa germplasm — the largest and one of the most genetically diverse palm grove collections in the Western Hemisphere.

Jessica here! I stopped by campus last week to try the Palm Walk dates and — wow! — they tasted like caramel candy without the guilt.

Be smart: You can buy a two-pack at an old-fashioned candy dispenser near the information desk in the Memorial Union for 75 cents. Quarters only!

• One-pound boxes are available at the University Services Building while they last — hopefully through the holidays, per Thirkhill.

What's next: Thirkill's team is done harvesting along Palm Walk but will continue to pick other date varieties from the germplasm through February.

• Some of those dates will be available for purchase from Sphinx Date Co.'s Scottsdale store.