Dates are a fruit of a tall palm tree known as the date palm.  When David was a shepherd, writing songs and prayers to God, he wrote about the palm tree.  In ancient times, the date palm was a symbol of moral uprightness and heavenly prosperity.  Date trees flourish in arid regions where it looks like they can't possibly survive, but they require little or no care.  For the people who live in the Middle East or Africa, dates are the staff of life.  In the United States, dates are grown in California, Arizona, and Texas.   Figs date back to the Garden of Eden and is the second fruit recorded in the Bible.  When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and knew their nakedness, they covered themselves with fig leaves.  To sit under one's fig tree was the Jewish concept of peace and prosperity.   I Kings 4:25  "Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and fig tree from Dan to Beersheba all of Solomon's days."   Figs are grown in Asia Minor, Greece, Turkey, and Italy.  All figs in the U.S. are grown in California and Texas.   Date and fig juice can be used for insomnia - when carbohydrate-rich foods are keeping you awake.  Dates and figs can also be used for coughing and wounds.  Use figs for constipation.   Figs may be added to water for sore throat aid.  Use 4 TBLSP of figs to a cups of water.  Boil, strain, cool, and drink the liquid or use as a gargle. __________________________________         Rose