The fruit is native to the Middle East and North Africa; its adopted home in Southern California is the Coachella Valley. “All of our dates grow within probably a 20-mile radius,” says Kelso. “There used to be over 100 date farms, but over the years it’s consolidated. You can count the number of farms now on two hands.” Lower, one of the few farmers, has been growing dates since 1974, and founded Flying Disc Ranch in 1979, and grows at least 10 varieties of dates. He’s also one of the original farmers at the Santa Monica farmers market, selling at the market since its opening day in the summer of 1981.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 21, 2018 15:22 UTC