Operations begin with pollination of the female flowers of the mother palm in the early spring. Pollen is collected from the male flowers of male palms and applied delicately to the female flowers. As the tiny seeds germinate and begin to grow, the flower bunch gains size. To eventually realize the large Medjools, we now begin the thinning process. Many strands are removed from the bunch centers to allow room for growth, exposure to the sun, and air circulation. A month or so later, the little fruit buds are about 1/4-inch in diameter and the severe thinning of these buds from each strand begins. This elimination allows even more expansion room for the growth of this large date. When this operation is complete, 8"- 9" wire separator rings are inserted into bunches to spread the strands and provide better air circulation. In August, cotton bags are placed on the bunches to protect the now large green dates from insects, birds, dust, and weather.
After all of the numerous specific hand operations above, harvest begins in September. Dates are carefully hand picked from the bunches, pregraded in the field, then taken to the packinghouse. Here, more special care is provided, until they can finally be sized and packaged into 11 pound special cartons. These cartons are placed into 0° cold storage until sold.