If your question is not answered here, please contact us.
How and when can I purchase Bautista Dates?
We harvest the date crop each year in August and September. Dates are available until they sell out, usually late spring.
The webshop opens each year in mid-September, once temperatures cool sufficiently for transit. Dates can be purchased for delivery within the US (including Puerto Rico) and to Canada.
Nearly all orders are shipped same-day or within 1 day. At especially busy times (including at the opening of the season), there may be a lead-time of up to three weeks as our packing house catches up with a rush of orders. We may be able to expedite for special occasions: contact us via e-mail or phone call.
To order, add your item(s) to the cart. The shopping cart window will automatically open. From there you can checkout via your debit or credit card. You do not need a PayPal account.
We also sell our dates at Southern California farmers markets.
What's so ‘hot’ about these dates?
We grow the dates that we want to eat. Our family's three generations of experience has shown us that the best dates are tree-ripened, all-natural, and organic.
Bautista Family Organic Dates are the real thing: harvested when perfectly ripe, never heated or treated in any way, always fresh from the current harvest, and available only until they sell out each spring. Our 14 acres of palms have been tended organically for over 100 years, and our dates have been certified organic since 2002.
As a small grower, we have the freedom to provide extra care to make sure our fruit is the best it can be. Commercial operations have other priorities: They start with an unevenly ripened fruit, then dehydrate it, since moisture gets in the way of long-term storage. Dates are typically also fumigated or irradiated. When it comes time for packaging, the dates may be artificially rehydrated with steaming and vacuum baths, and are sometimes soaked in glucose syrup, which makes them plump and shiny. From a old, hard product, a fresh date is simulated: sweet, chewy, soft — but miles away from the natural fruit.
We invite you to taste the real thing.
What do they taste like? How might I choose?
We offer samplers so you can taste for yourself. Side-by-side, each variety's unique character, flavor, and texture is brought to light.
The Royal Treatment sampler includes all currently available varieties. The Firm Commitment sampler pairs the two firmer cultivars, Deglet Noor and Zahidi. Or design your own Custom Sampler.
Descriptions and photos can be found on the Date Cultivars page, and also in the moisture level information just below.
What are firm-pack and wet-pack dates?
The main difference between date cultivars is moisture level. Our moist varieties — Medjool, Khadrawy, Barhi, Halawy, and Honey — are soft and succulent. Our firm cultivars, Deglet Noor and Zahidi, have a tender-to-chewy bite and subtler sweetness.
In addition to differences in moisture content according to cultivar, there is a natural range within each cultivar's harvest. This range is offered as 'firm-pack' and 'wet-pack' in the webshop, and can be seen in photo comparisons as well as the video clips on our Instagram.
At farmers markets and for shipment within the US, we offer both options. Due to the longer transit time, only firm-pack dates are shipped to Canada.
All of our dates — whether a moist or firm cultivar, whether firm-pack or wet-pack — can be eaten out of hand or combined with other ingredients in savory or sweet preparations. Moister dates readily smoosh or soften into other ingredients; firmer dates can hold their shape and chewiness even when cooked. In a date-nut bread or a batch of cookies, a sauté or a pot of beans, moister dates add flavor and sweetness with little-to-no texture, while firmer dates hold together and remain lightly chewy.
Soaking is the key to easy blending into a silky smooth texture. Hot water works quickly, though any liquid (see the LA Times’ recipes for dates soaked in coffee or in honeyed wine) at any temperature is effective. Do enjoy the soaking liquid also, as it will be sweetened and flavored by the dates.
How should I store my dates?
Dates can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer for many, many months. Refrigeration is usually sufficient; freezer storage offers extra protection from fluctuations in temperature and/or humidity. We suggest transferring dates from the shipping box into freezer bags or other air-tight containers to keep them as moist as possible.
If refrigeration is not available, choose lower moisture dates like Deglet Noor or Zahidi (the naturally firmer cultivars) and/or a firm-pack of any variety. Keep the dates in a ventilated container away from sun, heat, and humidity.