Thinking Allowed: Romantic dates in the desert

I went to the desert. While I was underawed by the plethora of golf courses in Palm Desert I was overawed by the history of dates in the region. Dates now have me smitten and dreaming dreams of grandiose portraits of pomegranates coupled with dates with Joshua trees in the background. This story starts over 120 years ago with agricultural research into new crops suitable to the United States. Coachella, a desert valley of California, was chosen as a suitable spot for growing dates. Sure enough, offshoots of date palms brought from Iran thrived and Coachella still produces 90% of dates grown in the US.

Growing dates, the oldest known cultivated tree crop, turns out to be fascinating. Dates are one of the most expensive crops to produce. In order to perpetuate a date type you need to grow offshoots which grow in the shade of their parent for five years before being transplanted. Each date tree is male or female and only produces trees of its own gender. For some odd reason the trees don't self pollinate and humans have to pollinate the trees by hand. The huge date palm, though towering over buildings has a root system similar to an onion. Dates are picky - the need desert heat but also lots of water. They need to be in a bath of water but detest rain. "A date palm must have it's feet in the water and its head in the fires of heaven." I was left feeling thankful I was not a date farmer and surprised that all this was figured out hundreds of years ago. Aurora is reading over my shoulder and says this is too informational.

Dates, combined with an irrigation disaster, brought fame and intrigue to the region. In 1905 while the imported dates were just getting settled the the Colorado River broke through an irrigation system. In the two years it took to fix this irrigation error the water accumulated to form the Salton Sea. Please look at a map now so you can understand how large this endorheic (this word is for you Jakob) inland sea in a desert is. A tourist hotspot sprung up on the banks of the Salton sea (if you have looked at a map you already know the Salton Sea is right next to Coachella). Imagine lush farmland right beside resort towns filled with movie stars and picnicers only coming out of the warm salty water long enough to lie in the sun eating dates. While the Salton Sea is still there toxic agricultural runoff, increasing salinity, and dropping water levels have made for an unusual eerie once loved now abandoned and dangerous effect. Coachella is still the heart of the US date industry but palms are likely now outnumbered by golf tees.

I got to visit a date farm that has survived nearly a century and is known for its slide show on "The romance and the sex life of the date." This would have been intriguing enough but a number years a go an enthusiastic religious donor decide to gift religious sculptures to the farm. I envisioned a few small statues of Mary with baby Jesus but this was nothing like that. This was on a scale to fit in with the gigantic date. It was artistically and beautifully done and I found myself quite enjoying how nice Jesus looks to the backdrop of date palms. I wonder if I look that majestic in front of a date palm? Given that my name means 'Date tree Date tree' I think an artist should volunteer to paint my portrait in Coachella. Please message me if you are keen and otherwise enjoy the photos.