Day 57

Fresh Date: Like I mentioned before, I've found a lot of new foods lately just by browsing the produce sections at various markets. The amount of fruits/vegetables I've never tried seems limitless, especially when I'm at a good farmer's market. On my last visit to the BHFM, I noticed these fresh dates in a bin near the front. I've had plenty of date flavored foods as well as dried versions, but never the real, unadulterated thing straight off the date tree. They were extremely inexpensive per pound, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

I've had these laying on my kitchen counter for a few days, since I read online that they're best consumed after the skin turns mostly brown. They seemed ripe enough today, so I grabbed one and took a bite.The thin skin gave way to a white flesh on the inside, and the texture was almost like a miniature apple. Interestingly, it didn't really have any flavor at all - almost none. I'm not sure if I ate it before it was sufficiently ripe, but it didn't taste like anything. The date had a small pit in the center, so I ate as much as I could around it before giving up. Maybe these aren't meant to be eaten by themselves, but I could be wrong.

From now on, I'll stick to the dried version until I find a variety of fresh date that's more tasty.