A very hot and dry climate is ideal for palm trees as they need very little water and are very tolerant to salt. Nowadays, commercial palms are grown in large irrigated orchards. The fruit grows in clusters beneath the leaves. Once ripe, the dates are generally picked by cutting the entire fruit cluster off the palm. Since not all dates ripen at the same time, multiple harvests are carried out for the expensive Medjoul variety. This is not economically feasible for other varieties which will only be harvested once the majority of the dates are ripe.

Dates can be eaten un-pitted, pitted or pitted and filled. Common fillings include walnuts, cashews, almonds, candied orange, marzipan, cream cheese, tahini and many others. Dates are among the most indispensable ingredients in some Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. They can also be processed into various products like date syrup, date spread, date cubes, dates fruit paste, dates fruit honey, sweetener, toppings or fillings for biscuits, pastries and cakes.