I’m not a huge fan of coconut. It’s not that I necessarily don’t like it, it’s just not on my list of favorite edible delights. I mention this because I believe my perspective on the fruit allows me to have a different approach to writing about my experience with it, as opposed to those who possess that undying love which bleeds through all too many “how-tos”.
My wife, on the other hand, does love coconut. So waltzing through the grocery store before a forecast winter storm (you know, just to see if there are any eggs, bread and milk left), I decided to grab a coconut as a project to pass some of the time I was plausibly about to spend in the home. So as a first-timer, I did what many of us do and grabbed an electronic device with internet capability and began to “research.” Oh, the horror! There’s stories of people nearly loosing fingers getting into these things. It just didn’t seem that difficult, so I took what I believed to be the best of several pieces of information and got to work.
I went for simple items I could locate around the house:
- flathead screwdriver
- hammer
- 2” common nail
- butter knife
- vegetable peeler
- re-useable k-cup filter
Now let’s begin.
If you have a need for the water inside of the coconut or simply want to prevent a mess in your kitchen. Use the hammer and nail to make one hole each in the three dark spots that make up the “monkey face.” Drain the water from the coconut, then (if you’re going to ingest the fluid) strain it through the re-useable k-cup filter.
Yes, you can probably use a traditional coffee filter, but I’m assuming if you’re saving this juice, then you believe it to be some precious commodity and throwing away a filter drenched with it may seem like a waste. I was able to retain exactly one cup of coconut water.
The coconut I purchased was from Brooks Tropicals, grown in the Dominican Republic. I learned from the packaging that the coconut was grooved to make the process of getting into it easier. Simply use the hammer to drive the flathead screwdriver into the groove. For me, this resulted in the coconut cracking, mostly around its circumference.
If the crack seems to stop, just work around the coconut with the same technique.
At some point the coconut should split in two.
Now, take the butter knife and work between the hull and the skin of the fruit.
Once you have removed the chunks of fruit, you’ll take the vegetable peeler and remove the skin.
You should be left with a pretty significant amount of edible coconut, wash and prepare as desired.
So whether you believe the coconut is a fruit, nut or drupe…the reality is, they are not all that complex to crack. Don’t let the stories fool you into not indulging in a fresh coconut, especially if it’s something you love. I’m starting to think that those who have had such horrific accidents getting into coconuts are the same people that probably should have supervision while eating them.
The simplicity of the project may, however, be more burdensome than you imagine if you have a spouse who, after your first successful attempt, deems you the coconut master. It could end up being another one of those part-time jobs you don’t get paid for.
Jordache Williams, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, is the Program Manager for Atlas Concepts, LLC. He understands that sometimes a small piece of information is the difference between success and failure. His contributions to the Shop Talk blog are purposed with sharing relevant information based on his own experiences.
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