Coconut Chips

Norbert of sv Pamela gave us a fresh coconut that he collected.  He had already taken the brown "nut" out of the green shell.  Being from Kansas we weren't necessarily knowledgeable on how to open a fresh coconut so Norbert showed us.  The recommended tool is a big machete - a standard tool here in the Caribbean.  However, we don't have one YET.  *Note to self - get a machete  Most hardware stores sell them down here.  Anyway.... Tom pulled out his selection of hammers.  The standard hammer nails in and pull them out hammer was selected.  A couple of hits around the center and the coconut cracked open.  Then with sturdy paring knife (not one of the flimsy ones) Tom chipped out pieces of the white coconut meat.  We could and did eat some pieces right then and there.  As I have mentioned before, this is FRESH coconut - hint of sweet and moist- NOT that icky, sweet, dry,flaky crap sold in bags on the bottom shelf of grocery stores.

We decided to roast ours in the oven.  We spread the fresh chips on a cookie sheet.  No need for oil because of the natural coconut oil in the meat.  The oven was approximately 350 - boat oven temp is an interesting topic that we should probably discuss at some point but not here.  We roasted for about 20 mins, checking at 10 and 15 mins.  At 20 mins, the chips were hot and the natural oil was surfacing.  We then turned on the broiler to toast them slightly.  We could have toasted a bit more but we were anxious to try them.

The chips were removed from the oven and Tom put a light sprinkling of salt on them.  

   YUM!

Coconuts

Chatting about coconuts in St Lucia

We are really enjoying the coconuts down here in the islands of the Caribbean - all parts the coconut.  First, let me back up and say that I have not been a fan of coconut in the past.  I didn't like the taste or texture.  It turns out that what I don't like is the icky, sweet, flaked junk that is sold in bags at the grocery store and smashed into perfectly good icing on cakes at Easter.  That stuff has the texture and taste of plastic Easter grass that has been soaked in corn syrup.  I do however like real coconuts - all parts.

Our first real exposure to fresh coconuts was in Antigua.  We had chunks of fresh coconut in Sv Dream Makers cockpit.  Apparently Bill had hacked it open and cut it into chunks himself earlier in the day.  Impressive!  Next we experienced toasted coconut chips made from fresh coconut with a dash of sea salt - oh my.  Yummy!  The local lady at the roadside produce stand introduced us to fresh coconut water.  And by fresh I mean she picked up a coconut, carefully holding in one hand, while her other hand - welding a HUGE machete- whacked away at one end, opening it up so she could insert a straw for us to sip the water out.  Very impressive and a bit intimidating.

Scooping out the jelly

In the street market on Dominica, the coconut man told us of all the benefits of coconut water while his helper whacked several open and drained the water/juice into a liter bottle.  According to him -  "Makes you strong.  Lowers blood pressure" and on and on.  Remember the song Lime in the coconut?  *B-dock sailing girls I know you remember that song.  Well......turns out it's true according to the coconut guy.  If you have a headache, you open a coconut, squeeze a lime in and drink it all down and your headache will go away.  This same coconut guy showed us how to use a piece of the chipped off coconut to scope out the jelly from inside the coconut.....after we 1.) drank the juice and 2.)  had the man with the bigass machete whack it in half.  It tasted just like fresh coconut but was smooth like, well...jelly.  We have yet to tackle opening a coconut ourselves - young or old.

Fresh coconuts in Trinidad

There are various stages of the coconut.  The young green/yellow coconuts are fresh off the tree and have lots of juice inside when you shake them.  This is also the stage that has the coconut jelly. Once it matures, the outer layer turns brown.  This is cracked revealing the brown nut.  The meat inside has turn into the hard, white coconut we are all used to seeing.

Coconuts are in fact very good for you. 

Grenada -It does NOT get any fresher than this!

From WebMD-

Naturally refreshing, coconut water has a sweet, nutty taste. It contains easily digested carbohydrate in the form of sugar and electrolytes. Not to be confused with high-fat coconut milk or oil, coconut water is a clear liquid in the fruit’s center that is tapped from young, green coconuts.  It has fewer calories, less sodium, and more potassium than a sports drink. Ounce per ounce, most unflavored coconut water contains 5.45 calories, 1.3 grams sugar, 61 milligrams (mg) of potassium, and 5.45 mg of sodium compared to Gatorade, which has 6.25 calories, 1.75 grams of sugar, 3.75 mg of potassium, and 13.75 mg of sodium.  Better Than Some Sugary Drinks.  Coconut water has less sugar than many sports drinks and much less sugar than sodas and some fruit juices. Plain coconut water could be a better choice for adults and kids looking for a beverage that is less sweet. But don’t overdo it, says Lillian Cheung, DSc, RD, of Harvard School of Public Health. “One 11-ounce container has 60 calories and if you drink several in one day, the calories can add up quickly," Cheung says.

WHATEVER - We just know it's good.

To learn about ALL the uses - and there are tons and tons, click Coconut for the Wiki link.  Or google it yourself.  It is truly an amazing fruit.