Fruitful Gifts of Arizona Inc.

Fruitful Gifts of Arizona Inc.

800/575-8597

One of the bright spots of my trip to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area last spring was seeing beautiful fruits blossoming in the valley of the Sun. A recent reminder of that trip arrived in a catalog for John and Liz Wake's family-owned company, which sells the foods and fruits grown in the Arizona desert. The centerpiece of the Wakes' product line are Celebration Dates, the fruit of a "wild" date palm that was discovered near Phoenix in the 1920s. The Wakes' small grove of Celebration Dates is now the only one of this particular variety that remain in the area. The dates are remarkable, luscious and creamy, unlike any I've ever tasted before. The catalog also offers chocolates and pistachios plus an assortment of seasonal citrus fruit (tangerines, oranges, tangelos, mandarins), all of which may be lovely. But if there's a date lover on your list, Celebration is the way to go.