Baby young coconuts... blech! [Archive]

RawMagnolia

03-17-2006, 08:27 AM

O'kay I've tried three young baby coconuts now... and the last one was finally a good one! But.... the milk still tastes funk to me, and the meat... it's like slimy... blech! :rolleyes:

I think I'll have to stick to those cheapo oldies!! Anyone else not take to the young ones?? hehe.

Sandra

theresaann

03-17-2006, 08:37 AM

say WHAT, girlfriend!?!

Baby coconuts are the BOMB!!

I'm betting you have had a couple of spoiled ones. I've had that happen, major drag.

The slimy meat part is actually good-it seems that the younger they are, the more that's true, but I can relate, when it's REALLY slimy, it's a little weird....

But when you get that "just right" coconut, man, there's nothing like it!

karenisraw

03-17-2006, 08:49 AM

Hi,

I make a "shake" out of mine. I just put the water in a blender and add the meat and blend. It turns out sweet and milky. No slimy and no funky. Just real good stuff.

k
:)

RawMagnolia

03-17-2006, 08:52 AM

I've been putting mine in my smoothies, and blech... can I taste it... just offensive (to me ;) )

Perhaps I'll try again... in a few years :p

Shivananda

03-17-2006, 09:32 AM

Hi RW,

If the soft jelly pulp of the coconuts you've gotten don't taste sweet and fresh, you've gotten bad coconuts. I'd complain wherever you bought them. They have to be kept refrigerated, and if not, can go sour quickly.

When you do get a good one, here is a quick tip for making a yummy "ice cream" dessert.

Drain the water off to drink or use for other purposes. Scoop all the soft pulp into your blender. Add a frozen banan, or hunks of frozen mango, peach, whatever you have on hand. Add raw vanilla bean scrapings if you like.

Blend until creamy.

YUM!

RowanC

03-17-2006, 09:57 AM

But I totally disagree with you here about refrigeration.
I have NEVER put my coconuts in the fridge. Never. They sit out on the counter until I'm ready for them.

When I buy them at any of the asian stores here in town, they are NEVER refrigerated., they are in bins in the store... or on shelves.. never in the fridge.

When I used to buy them in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, they were NEVER refrigerated, they were piled in a pile, and opened as you bought them. They'd cut them open, pop in a straw, and hand them to you and the general temperature was 78 degrees outside. I never got a spoiled one.

If they're spoiled it is because they are cracked somewhere. Otherwise, the air doesn't get in and they're fine.

I don't know what people are getting or expecting, but I've only gotten one bad coconut in 20 years. Sometimes they are white, sometimes they are grey, sometimes they are various shades of violet. All of these are GOOD as long as they don't smell sour.

Yes, they are slimy, and yes, the milk is very, well, "different" tasting. You either love it or you don't. And yes, it comes through if you mix it with other things.

I'm sorry you don't like them.. just send your extras to ME!
BWA HAHAHAHahahaha!

JinxieKat

03-17-2006, 10:29 AM

Hey I want some extra's too.. YUMMMm!

I've been able to buy them at two places, one that kept them refridgerated, one that didn't. I've never gotten a bad one from the place that just keeps them at room temp, However I did get a bad one from the other store. Go figure!

I love my baby coconuts with the milk and meat blended together with a bit of vanilla, ice cubes, and sometimes a dash of cinnamon.. Hmmm... Delish! Or I do them with frozen pinapple for a pina colada type thing. Also Delish!

Jinx

divaitalia

03-17-2006, 11:12 AM

I just started eating young coconuts and they truly are the BOMB!!!!! It is like being close to NIRVANA or something. I love them. They are so good for you too. Natural, saturated awesome fat!!!!

Refrigerate or unrefrigerate, they are the best thing ever. In all the Asian stores I have been in I have never seen them refrigerated. I did get one that was a little violet though and threw it out thinking it was bad. Next time I'll know.

Good eatin' to all!!!!!

Divaitalia :p

RawMagnolia

03-17-2006, 12:00 PM

It's cool that you all can appreciate the young baby coconut. I really like the mature coconut, so I was expecting it to be like those, but better. To my taste the young are nothing like the mature... so I would gladly send all the young ones your way Rowan!!! :D

03-17-2006, 02:43 PM

i tried my first young coconut last week and loved it.. it came from a refridgerated section of my health food store and it's hair was nicely shaven off for me.. my children didn't like it though..

ok now my dumb question.. what is the best way to get inside of them? i stabbed and hacked and whacked and finally took a hammer to it.. fortunately i found the soft spot and stabbed in there first to get the milk out.. anybody have a good technique? :D

Rmiller

03-17-2006, 02:53 PM

I would use baby coconuts more often but they just take me so long to open and make a mess. I don't have a sharp enough knife so I use a hammer in the coconut which is wrapped in a plastic bag.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I really don't want to have to buy an expensive knife.

RawMagnolia

03-17-2006, 02:59 PM

I watched Alissa's video and it's really easy! You just hold the coconut in one hand, or put it on the countertop... and using a heavy knife, whack the top of the coconut with the "thick" "bottom" end of the blade, enough so that it digs into the coconut. So what you are doing is whacking it with a solid tip of metal... if you can invision what I mean. You whack it about an inch away from the top point, and then rotate the coconut and create another incision starting from where the last one left off... rotate the coconut and continue. Eventually you will have a "cut" almost all the way around the coconut, and then you rip off the top. Pour out the liquid, and spoon out the flesh.

I have this handy new ability, and I can't use it now... since I don't prefer the young coconut :p

theresaann

03-17-2006, 03:05 PM

that's the way I open them too. It's really easy.

My daughter loves these so we share one in the morning before she goes to school-I love that we can bond that way and that she's eating something really healthy for her! She's very adventurous-she tries all the raw stuff I make. She's 12 now and I just KNOW she's gonna go raw with me!

So those young coconuts have a place in my heart...aw... :o

03-17-2006, 04:26 PM

thanks for the tip. that makes perfect sense and should be much easier. ;)

Shivananda

03-18-2006, 10:08 PM

I would use baby coconuts more often but they just take me so long to open and make a mess. I use the "point" on the butt end of a cleaver blade topierce the shell about 6 times around the top, and then I can lift off the "lid" and drink the water with a straw.

But an entirely different approach, which I learned from Dan Hoyt at Quintessance Restaurants in NYC is to go in through the flat side on the bottom. Use a sharp chef's knife to slice away the white outside fiber enough to get idown to the inner "shell." At this point you will see 3 "eyes. " Two of them are hard, but one is soft, and you can use a phillips screwdriver to twist and drill your way in to the inside. Once you've got that hole open, invert the coconut over a container to drain the water. Once drained the shell will crack open more readily, and this way you don't spill all the lovely water. :)

Shivananda

03-18-2006, 10:18 PM

When I buy them at any of the asian stores here in town, they are NEVER refrigerated., they are in bins in the store... or on shelves.. never in the fridge. I didn't mean in the meat locker, no, but in the cooled produce section, where the lettuce is kept. If they are out on an uncooled counter at room temperature I don't buy them. I've had way too many bad ones that way.

When I used to buy them in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, they were NEVER refrigerated, they were piled in a pile, and opened as you bought them. Yes, but you were at least a couple of weeks closer to the source than we are here. That extra transit time makes a huge difference, becaue the shell is porous and the liquid rapidly evaporates once the protective hard outer shell is shaved away to make them into little white tiki huts. That's why the brown ones have no water. They are older, and the water has all evaporated away.

PATH301

03-18-2006, 10:26 PM

I have not had any luck yet getting ones that do not tasting nasty and are kinda blueish gray in certain spots. I'm currently 0 and 5 for nasty old ones :eek:
I have had a young one about a year ago, but so far in the stores around me they don't seem to keep them fresh :confused:

mandarin honey

03-18-2006, 10:32 PM

I've had a few bad ones and a few good ones. I'm still on the fence though as to whether I like them or not. Didn't really care for the water or meat by itself but I do use them in different dishes and smoothies.

myssi

03-18-2006, 11:26 PM

I tried the young raw coconuts and was undecided about them. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting! I think I could aquire the taste. . .my 5 year old liked them and my hubby hated them. . .we're on the fence too!

I'm in the Minneapolis area and they are almost always available here. . .I wonder how old they are by the time they get here though?

Myssi

kayla

03-18-2006, 11:51 PM

I don't like them either. I don't think the ones I got were bad, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. The sweetness was kinda weird, not very traditionally sweet, and I thought the flesh was too slimy and oddly textured to be enjoyable.

I heard it was good as a shake to just mix the flesh and the milk together for a smoothie, but I didn't like that either. I added more sweet fruit...didn't like that either, so I just gave up and never bought any again.

I'm sure some people would be jealous to find out that they are sold for only 99 cents here, though! :cool:

Shivananda

03-19-2006, 12:03 AM

I'm sure some people would be jealous to find out that they are sold for only 99 cents here, though! :cool: But where is "here?" You didn't fill in your location on your profile, so I have no clue.

I don't underrstand why so many people don't show their location. To me it is fun to see that info, and also helps me understand local references they make in their posts.

C'mon you guys, fill in your profiles. I mean, it's not like you have anything to hide, do you? :)

onelife2live

03-19-2006, 12:06 AM

I'm reading everyone's posts....good ones, bad ones, slimy ones....DARN IT!

All I keep getting is the hardened ones, the coconut water is fantastic but no slimy flesh (I really want a slimy one). Just so I'm making sure I'm buying the right ones, I've been purchasing the small brown hairy coconuts. Is there another kind I need to look for?? :confused:

kayla

03-19-2006, 12:18 AM

But where is "here?" You didn't fill in your location on your profile, so I have no clue.

I don't underrstand why so many people don't show their location. To me it is fun to see that info, and also helps me understand local references they make in their posts.

C'mon you guys, fill in your profiles. I mean, it's not like you have anything to hide, do you? :)

:p I live in Houston. I filled in that portion of my profile, too--just for you.

squidly

03-19-2006, 03:48 AM

I tried young coconuts when in Thailand at Christmas as I love coconut but NOT the young ones - slimmy!!! Don't mind the water

I have just bought one here down under in Albury , Australia to see if my almost 3 year old daughter will like it - if not will make ice cream out of it.

Shivananda

03-19-2006, 07:29 AM

Another thing hoity-toity raw restaurants use young coconut meat for is pad thai noodles. Cut into thin strips the white meat closely resembles the slinky white cooked noodles of the original. And of course, the coconut taste is no hindrance in a thai dish like that.

And for the water, if you don't like drinking it straight, blend it up with some fruit to make smoothies. It's very nutritious.

Rmiller

03-19-2006, 12:15 PM

I heard that young coconuts are sprayed on the outside with Formaldehyde to preserve them. Is this true?

RawTruth

03-19-2006, 01:39 PM

Hey Folks -

These are two different animals (well, sorry fellow vegans, I know you'd never eat animals!)

The young Thai coconuts are NOT the same thing as the brown hairy things.

Don't expect them to taste the same.

However, the older the Thai ones are, the firmer the flesh inside is. I personally prefer one done "medium well" where the meat isn't jiggly but is firm and solid when I scoop it out.

Latest price from Southern California - $6.99 for a case of 9. This is an all-time personal worst. Same place usually has them for $3.99 for the case. But, there's been a holdup at the port so things have been backed up. Containers sitting around unloaded, etc.

Taste-wise, if you expect it to be a NEW taste and nothing like that flaked white stuff that's made from those brown coconuts, you'll likely like them. Those less adventurous can always send theirs to any of us young coconut lovers!!! Addresses available on an individual basis.

JinxieKat

03-19-2006, 02:03 PM

onelife2live

03-19-2006, 08:15 PM

Yeap, they need to be white with a flat bottom and then a pointed top. They are _very_ different from the brown ones!

Ok..I'm officially confused :confused: The only place I've seen white coconuts are the ones that are plastic wrapped and sold in SAD supermarkets, neither of the 3 organic stores I've been to (ie; David's Natural Market and My Organic Market, etc) sell whites ones..just the brown hairy ones. Hmm...do I need to visit an Asian supermarket??

mandarin honey

03-19-2006, 08:43 PM

Ok..I'm officially confused :confused: The only place I've seen white coconuts are the ones that are plastic wrapped and sold in SAD supermarkets, neither of the 3 organic stores I've been to (ie; David's Natural Market and My Organic Market, etc) sell whites ones..just the brown hairy ones. Hmm...do I need to visit an Asian supermarket??

These are young coconuts:

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8008/youngcoconut6ig.png (http://imageshack.us)

RawTruth

03-19-2006, 09:30 PM

onelife2live --

Look at this link. You'll see picures of the coconuts we're talking about. This is NOT the way I (or most people I know) open a coconut, though; I'm just putting this here for the picture:

http://living-foods.com/articles/youngcoconuts.html

Yes, go to an Asian market. If you like them after you try them, it pays to buy a case. If they only have single coconuts on display, ask them for the price per case.

onelife2live

03-19-2006, 10:27 PM

Thanks Jinx and RawTruth!

RawTruth the link is awesome. I never knew that the white coconuts once had green outer shells. Now I totally understand. Whats funny though is that my boyfriend who has spent most of his teenage years in St. Thomas told me about young coconuts (the green one's) and how abundant they are on the island. So now I won't be wasting my money on the brown hairy ones any longer! :D

Shivananda

03-19-2006, 10:35 PM

Ok..I'm officially confused :confused: The only place I've seen white coconuts are the ones that are plastic wrapped and sold in SAD supermarkets, OK, yes, those are the ones. Take them home and enjoy!

Rmiller

03-20-2006, 02:39 PM

Wondering if anyone has an answer to this question I had earlier:

I heard that young coconuts are sprayed on the outside with Formaldehyde to preserve them. Is this true?

Shivananda

03-20-2006, 02:43 PM

Hi Rmiller,

I'm not sure about Canada, but that practice is definitely banned by US food laws, so I find it unlikely to be true in Canada.

RawMagnolia

03-20-2006, 02:45 PM

I would hope not, but I do find that they smell funky!! I just can't seem to appreciate them at all can I :p

RawTruth

03-20-2006, 02:47 PM

Wondering if anyone has an answer to this question I had earlier:

I heard that young coconuts are sprayed on the outside with Formaldehyde to preserve them. Is this true?That's what I've heard (they're definitely not organic, regardless) -- and it's been discussed on this forum several times. I don't have the time right now to do a search, but maybe you do.