When the Yom Kippur War started in 1973, Steven Parker wanted to do something to help Israel. So the 22-year-old went to the Sachnut, the Jewish Agency, in Philadelphia to volunteer. Soon he was on Kibbutz Afikim in the Jordan Valley, a few miles south of Lake Kinneret.

With the young men all away fighting, the kibbutz urgently needed help harvesting ripe dates.  An older member of the date team told Parker and the kibbutz’ high-school students how to do the dangerous job.

Since the fruits on the tallest trees were too high for any mechanical equipment, Parker first had to take his curved machete and throw it up into the tree, so that it stuck in the trunk. Where fronds had been cut off, their stumps formed a kind of ladder. Step by step Parker climbed, up to fifty feet above the ground.

When he reached the intact fronds that held the clusters of dates, it didn’t get easier. As he bounced up and down on a frond, he needed to watch out so he wasn’t impaled by needle-like new leaves. Precariously balanced, he looked for fronds that held ripe dates, and whacked them with his machete.

He did not take time to get a bird’s-eye view of the countryside. “You’re focused on not getting killed,” says Parker. There was no safety belt, no net if he fell. The people who usually harvested the dates were used to risking their lives. It all began in the 1950s, when Israelis made a covert run into Iran to gather choice date seeds, says Parker. Ever since, the date team made many trips up the trees to hand pollinate them and to place mesh bags around the ripening fruit to protect it from birds.

These choice dates were drier than other varieties, perfect for caravan travel, since they did not get crushed or rot. The dates that Parker harvested were also the first ones he ever ate, feasting on the fruit that escaped from the nets and scattered over the ground.

Today, Parker enjoys seeing date palms growing in the yards and parks near his home in central Tucson. But there are fewer trees than in the past. “Date palms are disappearing” in Tucson, says Eileen ­Fitz­maurice, a master gardener at the University of Arizona Pima County Coopera­tive Extension. Once palms get tall, it is expensive to hire people to prune them. Homeowners who choose to prune the palms themselves should remove only the older fronds that are sagging, says Fitzmaurice, because the greener leaves that still reach upright are providing nutrients to the tree.

Transplanting of date palms and other tropical plants should be done during their growing season, says Fitzmaurice. She recommends transplanting them during May, or during the monsoon rains.

Date palms naturally grow in oases and need ongoing deep watering. For maximum growth, water must penetrate the soil six to eight feet, says Roger Watson, another master gardener at the Cooperative Extension. It takes approximately eight inches of water to soak the soil that far down. Date palms only need to be watered once in the winter and again in the spring; from May through September, they should be watered every 20-25 days. But it is also important not to overwater, says Watson, explaining that moderate moisture stress is needed while the fruit is ripening.

Trees are male or female, and both sexes need to be planted for fruit to appear. For optimal fruit production, hand pollination is required. Male flowers begin appearing in late January, followed by female flowers in early February, with most flowers appearing in March and April. Fruit is harvested from October through December, says Watson.

The Cooperative Extension (4210 N. Camp­bell, 626-5161) publishes a bulletin, “Growing and Processing Dates,” which provides further information.

Dates are one of the seven species of produce for which the land of Israel was known in Biblical times. The dvash, the “honey” in “the land of milk and honey,” is a syrup made from date sugar. Because dates are dry, they cannot simply be juiced like many other fruits.

Here are two recipes for date syrup, one traditional and the other an easier blender version.

In “The World of Jewish Cooking” (Simon & Schuster, 1996), author Gil Marks notes that Middle Eastern immigrants in Calcutta make a date syrup called halek, similar to a date honey made in many locations in the Middle East and North Africa. Both serve as the basis for Passover charoset. “Since this version requires a great deal of effort to prepare, it is usually made in a large quantity only once a year just before Passover. The leftover halek is then used throughout the rest of year to add a distinctive touch to desserts,” says Marks.

Halek

(Calcutta Date Syrup)

1 1/2 pounds pitted dates

1 cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds

1. Place the dates in a large bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak until soft, at least 24 hours. In a food processor or blender, puree the dates and soaking liquid. Let stand overnight.

2. In batches, place a little of the date mixture in a linen towel and squeeze out the liquid. Discard the solids left in the towel. (Some people use a small manual wine press in place of the more tedious towel.)

3. In a saucepan, bring the date liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, skimming the surface and stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 2 cups, about 1 hour.

4. Cool, then pour into a jar. Store in the refrigerator. If sugar crystallizes, place the bottle in a bowl of hot water until the syrup is smooth.

5. To make the charoset, stir the nuts into the 2 cups of halek.

Makes about 2 cups syrup; 3 cups charoset.

Date Syrup

(Iraq)

This recipe comes from the mrbreakfast.com website, which notes, “In Iraq, date syrup is enjoyed for breakfast on bread with heavy cream. But this syrup is also a great replacement for traditional maple syrup for pancakes and waffles.”

1 cup pitted Medjool dates

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a medium sauce­pan, bring water and dates to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add vanilla and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

2. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Place mixture in a blender with the cinnamon. Pulse until smooth and completely blended. Store in a sealed container in your refrigerator. Warm the syrup before using.

Makes 12 servings.

You can also purchase date syrup made in Wales at http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/240929.html or made in Iran at http:// www.sahravi.com/dates/iran ian-date-nectar-honey-syrup.htm. Oskri Organics makes a date spread with date syrup, rice syrup, and tahini, available at some local health food stores.