So I went to the dentist yesterday so he could check the progress and healing of my wisdom teeth surgery. I got one of those cool little syringe things to irrigate the area too. Since I'm so obsessive about keeping my teeth clean, I am very likely to overuse it, if that's possible...
The swelling has gone down considerably and it no longer hurts the rest of my teeth to bite down with any sort of pressure (a skill necessary for mastication). I can still feel a bunch of strange, sore lumps when I run my fingers along my jaw though. Anyway, I wanted to celebrate the lack of significant pain while chewing by purchasing one of my favorite (and more difficult things to eat) snacks: COCONUTS!
Coconut is a staple in paleo dieting as it offers a great supply of natural plant fats, can be ground down into flour for cheater baking and it just tastes fantastic. Sure, you can buy unsweetened coconut flakes and coconut milk at any old store, but you can't beat the primal feeling you get when you crack and process your own coconut. Heck, I feel primal just holding a coconut. I really enjoy the process of preparing food with intensive, time-consuming steps. I like to work with my hands. Maybe you'd like to give it a shot too by processing your own coconut. (I can get a coconut done in 20 minutes, so it's certainly not an all-day thing.)
The very first step you need to accomplish is to pick out a good coconut.
I've been buying coconuts long before I got into the whole paleo thing, so I have quite a bit of experience and know what to look for when picking one out. A coconut is produce just like apples, carrots and broccoli. You wouldn't just grab the first one you see right on top of the pile and throw it in your cart, would you? (I always try to grab produce from the bottom and otherwise hard-to-reach areas of the display because I think less people will have fondled them.)
If you pick out a bad coconut, you'll have a disappointing experience. You can get one that's
overripe (the meat will be slimy, have a reddish tint and smell and taste soapy),
moldy (you'll actually see yellowy, grey, green mold on the meat) or
underripe (it won't pry well from the shell and won't taste as coconutty as you'd expect--the water tastes good though).
While there is some guesswork when it comes to picking out produce, there are some guidelines to use to keep you from picking out a real dud of a coconut. This guideline is for brown coconuts, not the young, green ones. I've never purchased those before, but I tasted one in Hawaii once and didn't really like it.
*Pick them up and shake them. You should hear the coconut water sloshing around inside. If you don't hear any sloshing, it probably has a crack in it and lost all its water in transit. You don't want that one.
*Choose one that feels heavy for its size. Even if you really want that giant one in the heap but it feels lighter or the same weight as one a little smaller than itself, go with the smaller one. They're usually sold by the each rather than by the pound so you'll get more bang for your buck anyway.
*Examine the eyes of the coconut--those three little brown spots on the end. They should be dry and smooth. If they're wet or have mold growing on them, you don't want them. You can smell the eyes too. They shouldn't smell like much of anything. If they smell soapy or earthy--like musty dirt--you might want to set that one aside.
*Examine the outside shell of the coconut; it could have small cracks in it despite having liquid inside. Try not to get ones that are wet on one side.
That is how I pick out a coconut. I can mull over the pile of coconuts for a good while before finding a perfect one or just deciding that none of them are any good. If you do pick out a bad coconut (you know--moldy), just keep your receipt and return it. No shame in a little un-shopping. I made Weston do it once. :)
Now that you have the thing, just what are you supposed to do with it?
To start, you will need to drain the coconut water from it. It is not synonymous with "coconut milk". Coconut milk is made when you pulverize the whole flesh of the coconut (minus the bark) and strain it several times. You can make curries and desserts and such with the milk or just drink it plain.
*Poke a hole in the largest and roundest hole. It's usually the one that would be the "nose" or the "mouth" of the coconut's face, if that's what you want to call it. Also, it'll be the one that pokes out the easiest. The other two are a little harder to pierce. To poke the hole, use a sharp, small knife and twirl it around in the hole. You need to be able to poke all the way through the coconut meat inside to reach the water. Sometimes, if the meat is thicker, I will poke a straw through the hole after piercing and digging out as much meat as I can with the knife.
Now, I know it's super tempting to just suck out the coconut water with the straw, and you certainly can try, but since the coconut is airtight, you wont be getting much liquid out before you create a vacuum. You could use a really narrow straw maybe. But, a more hands-free method of draining the coconut water is to tip the coconut upside-down over a tall glass.
*Set the coconut upside-down on top of a tall glass with the eyes pointing down into the cup.You'll need to tilt the coconut slightly so that you get some airflow through the hole. You can shake the coconut into the cup a few times to get it started draining.. or restarted. The coconut water can overflow the cup if there's a lot in there, so you should keep an eye on it.
The coconut water is quite tasty, assuming you have a good coconut. If the water tastes a little bitter and soapy, you might have picked a not-so-good one. You can drink the coconut water right then and there to replenish your electrolytes. Coconut water is just as good as any sport drink for replacing those glorified salts, and it's completely natural--save it for after a workout. Or use the coconut water in curries and other recipes. I tried to use coconut water as a chai base and it wasn't exactly my best experiment. You may have better luck with it.
Now comes the fun part--breaking it open. I use the concrete patio outside our front door. Wherever you have a really hard surface that you don't mind getting a little dirty.
*Drop the coconut from about a foot high, throwing down with gentle force. Careful! The coconut could bounce up and fly anywhere---like your foot or face or priceless antique china cupboard---especially if you throw it down really hard and from really high.
*Continue dropping the coconut gently until it cracks open. Break it into 3 or 4 pieces. It'll be easier to pry the meat out of a few larger pieces that a whole bunch of little ones. If you wanted to crack the coconut in such a way that you will have a complete bowl shape for making coconut bras or something, you're going to have a much more difficult time removing the meat. In other words, it's more difficult removing large, curvy portions of the coconut meat than smaller ones. But it does look cool when it breaks that way.
|
You'll get something like this. |
|
Now comes the hard part: prying the coconut meat from the shell. You do need to be really careful with this part because the shell could have sharp pieces, and you may need to apply considerable force to get the meat out. I've been cut many times.
*Use a large spoon to slide between the coconut meat and the shell. Coconut meat will have a thin, brown "bark" on the outside. This stuff is fine; you can eat it. You will want to try to get your spoon underneath the bark in order to free the meat from the shell. The bark is part of the meat, so you'll never get it out in big, nice pieces if you dig at just the white part. If you have a good coconut, the bark will pop off from the shell fairly easily. Trust me, it's not going to just fall out; you will need to show a little muscle. Luckily, the spoon acts as a wedge and a lever to help you get the coconut out. (I hope you don't mind if your spoon gets a little bent...)You can run a butter knife between the bark and the shell too to help loosen the meat.
|
Just like so. |
*Gently rock and pry the spoon under the meat. You want to try to get the meat out in as big a piece as possible. It's much more satisfying. And easier too. If the meat breaks when you're prying it out, you'll need to try to dig underneath the bark again so you can get your spoon under it to get the rest of the meat out. You will probably need to brace the coconut against your stomach to better control it.
Fair warning: it is possible to get a coconut that just refuses to be pried from the shell. The bark will stick to the shell and you'll pull out little chunks of white. This is very frustrating. I've been there. What you'll need to do is break the coconut into smaller pieces, then take a sharp knife and cut just the white part off. It still tastes good, don't worry.
*Once you've removed the coconut meat from the shell, give it a rinse in some water to get the little fibers and bits of shell off the white. Break a little piece off and enjoy. It's filling, full of fiber and delicious! You can store the chunks of coconut in the refrigerator in a zip-lock bag for several days. They may get a little slimy after storing them for a while. You can rinse off the slime and still enjoy them if the meat hasn't turned soapy. (Trust me, you'll know what I mean by 'soapy' if you happen upon it.)
|
Fantastic stack of coconut meat. See the brown bark on it? |
I have not used the coconut for any recipes before, nor have I dried it or flaked it or milked it. I just eat it as a quick snack. It really doesn't take much to fill you up, and it's good for you too! On another note, I purchased an organic coconut this last time to see if it made any difference. I did have to pay twice as much for it and it really tastes about the same. I noticed the meat was softer in the organic one and it pried out really easily since it had that extra flex. And it's easier on my tender teeth. Some coconuts you get, you really have to chew. This organic one is nice, but I don't know if it is worth double the cost.
Since I don't know what type of pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers necessary for coconut farms, I'm not sure if the coconuts can be affected adversely. The coconut itself is nestled inside a much larger, thick and fibrous hull that is removed before it's transported for sale in stores. Any pesticides or fungicides sprayed on the developing hull probably wouldn't have much of an effect on the coconut inside. Also, inorganic fertilizers will need to be transported through the system of an entire tree trunk before nourishing the coconut. Therefore coconut water inside may or may not be cause for concern. I'll have to do a little more research. But all-in-all you shouldn't think that organic is the end-all of produce anyway. Organic farmers use pesticides and fungicides as well--organic ones that can be and have been recalled and should still be under scrutiny.
In the mean time, I will enjoy my coconuts and will probably keep buying the regular type. Enjoy your primal coconut experience!
|
Here's my sweet little Baby bird enjoying some coconut too! |