It’s quarter to seven in the morning. The sun’s rays are slowly making their way across the desert, casting a purple hue on the Santa Rosa Mountains, which line the east end of California’s Coachella Valley.

The early October sun is shooting pink and orange rays onto the sunbleached trunks of the valley’s date palms. It looks like a scene from ancient Africa or the Middle East. Not surprising, since the trees were brought from those regions during the early part of this century.

But take a closer look: This image clearly belongs in the late 20th century. Farm workers, under the supervision of Oasis Ranch Management Inc., are harvesting Medjool dates from metal platforms attached to 18,000-pound forklifts. At Oasis Ranch, these platforms have completely replaced narrow ladders traditionally used to pick dates.

"We were the first in the Coachella Valley to make these platforms", says Dennis Maroney, general manager. Oasis Ranch grows and harvests about 1 million pounds of Medjool dates each year, which are marketed by Sun World International.

Since 1990, Oasis Ranch has been using platforms for its date pruning, pollinating and harvesting operations. When attached to a forklift they can lift up to eight workers high enough to do their work in the tops of the palms. Platforms are not only more efficient than ladders, but also much safer for workers, according to Maroney.

Despite the labor-saving virtues of platforms, however, date harvesting and packing processes remain quite laborious. On this particular morning, there are about three to four workers on each platform, picking dates and loading them into field boxes.

Several weeks before the harvest, date branches are wrapped in polyester bags to protect the sweet fruit from birds and insects. When each branch is harvested, workers open the bags over shallow, metal-ringed harvesting baskets.

Picking into Baskets

These baskets, which capture any loose dates that might be lost when the bags are opened, are lined with canvas and have nets in the center to strain out picking waste. In spite of the labor-intensive nature of this work, Maroney says, "A crew of three machines will harvest up to 15,000 pounds a day."

As their baskets fill up, pickers lower them to workers on the ground, who empty them into shallow boxes lined with newspaper or waxed paper to keep the fruit clean during transport. Maroney designed the wooden boxes, which hold 12 to 15 pounds of dates. They’re only three inches deep, he says, "Because the fruit is very soft. It won’t take much to crush it."

Switching to Plastic

Recently, however, he has begun using plastic boxes similar to those used for table-grape picking. The reason? "Wooden boxes cost $2.15 each and they don’t last forever. Plastic boxes cost $2 each and last indefinitely." After the boxes are packed, they’re neatly stacked to make it easier for workers to load them onto a truck. The boxes at the bottom of each stack are left empty to keep the dates off the ground, Maroney explains. "Cleanliness is the first step to ensuring a good quality packout", he emphasizes.

Dried for Packing

"We have to dry them to a certain moisture to preserve texture and configuration of the date", Maroney says. Even after drying, about three percent of the dates are too sticky to survive the packing process. Dried dates are poured onto a six-foot table lined on both ends with damp towels. The table, which is positioned on an incline, shakes them from side-to-side. They are are cleaned by gradually rolling from one end to the other between the towels, which remove dirt and dust.

Next, dates are carried on a conveyer belt to workers who sort them into three grades: Jumbo, which accounts for about 40 percent of the harvest; Large, which adds up to 30 percent; and Fancy, which makes up most of the difference. A very small amount of the fruit ends up as confection grade, used for baking or in cereals. Sorted dates are taken to another table, where they are hand-packed into 15-pound wax-coated boxes. The boxes are then loaded by hand onto wooden pallets, each of which holds 80 boxes.

Keeping Dates Cold

After the fruit is packed and palletized, it’s stored in a precooler that chills the fruit to 25 degrees. The fruit is normally precooled for 24 hours before it’s trucked to Sun World’s cooler in Coachella, where it will be stored at 32 degrees until an order arrives. Customers who want cooler storage can have their dates sent to another facility. Boxed dates are sold directly to consumers or to supermarkets, where they may be repacked in smaller boxes. They are packed with the Sea View label, "which has been around since 1924", Maroney says.

"This year has been very, very good for size and quality", he adds. "The finest quality Medjools are grown right here." Maroney attributes quality of his crop in part to good thinning, which was done in March and April. "We remove close to 80 percent of the fruit after it’s blossomed and set", he says, a process that helps the palms produce bigger fruit.

Good to Grow

The valley’s desert climate also is conducive to date growing, with hot summers and an abundance of water, both underground and via the Colorado River. The dates require five to six acre feet of water per year. Water costs range from $20 to $22 per acre foot. Maroney, who also farms 2,000 acres of citrus and table grapes, says Medjool dates account for about three million pounds of the valley’s annual 50-million-pound date harvest.

While Deglet Noor dates are more commonly grown, Maroney says he prefers the taste and quality of Medjools. "The Medjool is the king of dates; it’s so much bigger than other dates", he explains. "Its flesh is dark and rich and can be plopped off the tree and eaten out of hand. It’s nature’s candy."