Dates fruit...... The fresh dates are available soft, semi-soft or dry. The dry fresh date is not the same as the dried date. A dry date simply contains less moisture than a soft date. Fresh dates, if kept in an airtight container, stay fresh for up to 8 months if kept refrigerated, or for up to year in the freezer. A dried date is deliberately dehydrated to remove its moisture. Dried dates have a longer shelf-life than the fresh. Dried dates if refrigerated in an airtight container stay fresh for up to one year, and if in the freezer can last up to five years. -