No trip to Southern California's Inland Empire is complete without one of Hadley's famous date shakes. We indulged ourselves during a stop at their original store in the desert town of Cabazon. Since 1931, Hadley's has been offering a huge variety of dried fruits and nuts to road-weary travelers on Interstate 10. Free samples are one of Hadley's trademarks, and of course no one leaves without a date shake. We managed to resist the tantalizing displays of Medjool, Barhi, Khadrawi, Deglet Noor, and Empress dates, only to be waylaid by some cheese-jalapeno bread. Then Heather Hayden, a new and enthusistic member of the Hadley's team, whipped up what we came for, the renowned date shakes. They were terrific, as always. Even if you aren't in Hadley's neighborhood, you can enjoy many of their products (no date shakes, though!) by mail order. Call (800) 854-5655 or click here.

4/15/96