Botany of the Dates

Dates go through 4 stages of development:
1. Chimri, or Kimri, stage- the first 17 weeks after pollination: the dates are green, hard, bitter containing 80% moisture and 50% sugars (glucose and fructose) by dry weight.
2. Khalal stage- the next 6 weeks: the dates become full grown, still hard, the color changes to yellow, orange or red, the sugars increase and become largely sucrose.
3. Rutab stage- the next 4 weeks: the date are half-ripe, they soften, turn to light brown, and some sucrose reverts to reducing sugar which continues increase.
4. Tamar stage- the last 2 weeks: the dates become soft and their sugars are mostly reduced.