Dates are the fruit of a palm. They frequently contain half their weight in sugar, and a goodly amount of flesh-forming elements. With bread and butter, or with milk and bread and butter, they make an exceedingly good meal for children.

How To Cleanse Dates

Take off the desired quantity, pull them apart, put them in a colander, plunge them quickly into a bowl of boiling water, then into cold water, and throw them on a towel to dry. Sterilize enough one day to last for a week. Candy-eating children may be cured of the habit by substituting dates for candy.

According to Church, one pound, without stones, contains the following:

Water ................................ 3 oz. 143 gr.

Albuminoids, etc...................... 1 oz. 25 gr.

Sugar ................................ 8 oz. 280 gr.

Pectose and gum ..................... 1 oz. 354 gr.

Fat ................................... 0 oz. 14 gr.

Cellulose .............................. 0 oz. 385 gr.

Mineral matter ........................ 0 oz. 112 gr.

Stuffed Dates

Plunge the dates into boiling water, remove the stones and put in their places either half of a pecan or an almond, or a mixture of chopped nuts or another stoned date.

Date Muffin

Scald and stone the dates and put them through a meat grinder. Separate two eggs, add to the yolks one cupful of milk and one and a half cupfuls of whole wheat flour; beat thoroughly, add a half cupful of the chopped dates and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder; when well mixed fold in the well-beaten whites of the eggs. Bake in ten shallow muffin pans.

Date Mush

Stir finely-chopped dates into well-cooked oatmeal, at serving time.

Date Sandwiches

Stone and chop a half dozen dates. Butter two thin slices of bread, put the dates between, press them together, trim the crusts, cut into triangles and serve.

Date Gems For Children

Put a quarter of a pound of dates in a wire basket, plunge them down into boiling water, lift quickly, remove the stones and cut the dates rather fine. Separate two eggs, beat the yolks, add a half pint of milk, a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt and one cupful of whole wheat flour and one cupful of Roman meal; beat thoroughly, add two level teaspoonfuls of baking powder, beat, add the dates, mix and stir in carefully the well-beaten whites of the eggs. Bake in gem pans, in a quick oven thirty minutes.

These, with milk, make an exceedingly nice supper for children.