Dates in El Cajon — Iraqi Heritage Varieties, Grown in California

El Cajon and San Diego’s East County are home to the largest Chaldean community in America — and nobody in this country knows dates the way Iraqi families do. Iraq was the date capital of the world for most of recorded history; the orchards of Basra and the river valleys grew hundreds of varieties, and dates sat on the table at every gathering, with chai, with kahwa, baked into kleicha. If that’s the food memory you carry, here’s a straight answer about what a California farm can and can’t offer you.

We grow an Iraqi heritage variety

Zahidi is an old Iraqi date — one of the varieties your grandparents would have known — and it’s one of the two we grow on our family farm in the Coachella Valley, a couple of hours north of El Cajon. Golden, semi-dry, firm and nutty, not syrupy-sweet: the classic everyday date for chai, and the right texture for date paste if you bake kleicha at home. Boxes run 1 to 12 lb, $15 to $88, shipping included.

We grow these. Golden Zahidi Dates — Nutty, Less Sweet, Never Sticky | California Farm-Direct from our family farm in Sky Valley, California — from $15/lb, shipping included. See them →

We also grow jumbo Medjool — not an Iraqi variety (it came from Morocco), but picked ripe and shipped fresh from the cold room it’s the soft, rich date that disappears first at any gathering. From $19, shipping included.

Honest note: we don’t grow khadrawy, barhi year-round, or dayri — though if you grew up on the dark “monastery date,” here’s our grower’s guide to dayri and the closest matches we pick from our own palms.

Next-day to East County

We’re in Sky Valley, in the Coachella Valley — close enough that most orders reach El Cajon, Rancho San Diego and Santee in one to two days. Orders pack fresh from the cold room and ship within 3 business days, with shipping already in the posted price. One harvest a year, every September; when the cold room empties, that’s it until next season.

For stores, bakeries and parishes

East County’s markets and bakeries can buy the same fruit by the case: 24 to 100 lb, from $8.75/lb with freight included, packed in sealed retail-ready 1 lb and 2 lb containers — on the shelf as-is, nothing to repack. See the bulk & wholesale program, or start with a single case to taste against what your distributor sends.

Common questions

Are these like the dates from Iraq?
The Zahidi is the same variety, grown in a desert climate very close to Mesopotamia’s — hot days, mineral water, one long season. The terroir differs, the variety doesn’t.

Whole or pitted?
Whole, with pits — it keeps the fruit fresher, the way date stalls always sold them.

Anything added?
Nothing. One ingredient, no syrup, no sugar coating, grown without sprays.

Read more: khalal, rutab & tamr — the stages, explained · Medjool dates in San Diego · the full Zahidi guide