California Pitted Dates

Make a date with nature's first power fruit, which has been prized as a sweet source of fuel for as long as man has walked the planet.

Or at least that's the legend behind the ancient date, which grows on a type of palm tree that was brought to the U.S. in the 1920s and flourishes in the hot sun of Southern California, in the area around Palm Desert. That's where the local crop is celebrated each year in a festival held in its honor and where date shakes are a must for legions of fans who think nothing of driving hours to sample one.

Or you can just have the delicious dates delivered right to your door for a delicious snack, alone or as part of a nutty mix. Dates also make excellent all-natural sweeteners for cookies, quick breads, and other baked goodies, and of course those famous shakes, which you can blend up yourself. However you enjoy these dates, know that they'll give you the energy you need to pursue all your activities, no matter how extreme - and that you'll be tasting something that's been cultivated for thousands upon thousands of years.