Young Coconut Season????

[blue_sky]

Hi all,

On my endless quest for young coconuts I visited some markets in Philadelphia's Chinatown last weekend. And they told me it was not the season!! From this and other raw boards I had the impression that they were available year round. Plus, I remember when I was living in Jersey City by the greatest supermarket ever, they seemed to always be there. (I with I had known what they were then). Does anyone know the best time of year to get them?

[rawjojo]

I get them all year around at our little asain market in Cleveland

[Zuzu]

Here where I live on long Island I cannot find any, but in my home town in Alabama, we had them year round.

:confused:

[Punky]

I've been buying them year round here in Dallas. Just bought some a week or so ago.
I will ask my mom (who's Vietnamese) if their are certain times
they are more in season than other times though.
Like with mangos, I get them pretty much year round too, but they are much
better tasting when in season.

[PixieGreen]

Punky, where do you find them in Dallas? I've never had a young coconut.
Christa

[DotfromOz]

Sometimes, "not in season" is a polite Asian way of saying, "We don't have any now." Saying that the store doesn't have something can be interpreted as lack of consideration for the customer's needs, so that might have been a possibility. After all, the store can hardly be expected to have something that's not in season.

Do you shop there regularly? I discovered that things that hadn't been available in one of my local Asian markets when I first began going there were consistently available after I'd demonstrated seriousness by making several return visits and displaying some basic knowledge about foodstuffs. Weird though it may seem, sometimes a non-Asian will be "tested" in a sense to see if you're really interested in their cuisine and not just window-shopping.

[coffeesquirrel]

ok so this is a little off topic but don't you just love the asian markets? kinda like making a small trip to a different country ... always have to try just one new thing. (plus i can kinda identify with people in our county who do not speak the launguage and have to shop for food. ) wow it can be scary lol cheers coffeesquirrel

[DotfromOz]

What I love about Asian markets is the same thing I love about the organic produce department at the health food store where I shop regularly--wonderful smells! Asian markets almost always smell like appealing foodstuffs instead of the "un-smell" of a SAM [standard American market ;) ] with all its carefully packaged un-foods. Even the produce area in one of those doesn't smell like real food!

[blue_sky]

So guess what!!! I stopped at one of the two regular health food stores i usually go to on my way home from work today. i was at the checkout and what do i see out of the corner of my eye but.... YOUNG COCONUTS!! i could have kissed the checkout guy (but i didn't). so now i have one sitting on my counter and i am going to eat it tomorrow morning!!! WOOOOOOOOO!!!! it was $3.... not THAT bad for a once in a while treat i guess.

also: i love asian markets too. i have not a one near my home though!! this was my first time at the ones in philly, and they were relatively small and i looked all around them.... and indeed, no young coconuts. but i did get a durian (my first and last one) :)

[Punky]

PixieGreen,
I get my young coconuts at the asian markets.
There's a bunch in the Garland area. Also one in Plano too.
Whole Foods has some too, but twice the price or more.
My mom picks them up for me when she goes to the Asian Market-
so I rarely have to get them myself. She gets them for 80cents up to a $1.
My MIL picked some up in the Plano Asian market for like $1 or $1.10
Whole Foods had them for $2-3 can't remember exactly. Organic is not an
option so they are all the same really.
I know your in Denton so I would try "The Cupboard" natural foods
store. I haven't been there in ages but it's worth a looksie. They have expanded since I lived up there so I have no idea what they carry.
I don't think I remember an Asian Market when I lived there but
that was 10 years ago and a lot of things are popping up around there now.
Good Luck on your search. If you see Asha on Friday for the raw food demo
I would ask her if there was a local place to get some. Also there are some food coops in Denton that might be of interest to you too.

[PixieGreen]

Thanks Punky! The Cupboard's produce section is especially sparse. They must not make enough money there to keep it well stocked. I'll ask at the thing on Saturday, otherwise I think the closest Asian Market is in Carrollton. Road trip!

Christa

[blue_sky]

I ate the young coconut.

Interesting. Tasty but not quite the ambrosial nectar it was suppposed to be.

Maybe it was not ready? or maybe it was just not my faaaaavorite.

I love the water inside though! MMMM.

I think I should get better at opening them.

[Punky]

Hi Blue Sky,
My MIL tried a young coconut recently and thought the same thing.
I think she was expecting a richer coconut experience where young coconuts
tend to have a lighter taste and not to sweet. I think she was expecting
more of a pina colada, LOL.
But she's been drinking them anyways cause they are healthy. Try
blending the milk and meat together in your blender with some sweetener like agave, honey or maple syrup (whichever you use) and some ice.
I find it really good that way.

[Autumn]

Kat-Khan,

Where in Alabama did you use to live?? I used to see the young coconuts in my home town (Philly), but I don't know where to get them here now in AL (where I've been for 6 years).

[blue_sky]

Thanks Punky!!

I guess that's what I did expect from what people on the board had said.

I think something I might do next time is drink the coco water, which was the part i preferred, and experiment with making desserts from the meat.

I'm going back to the market after work to snap up a few more before they are all gone :)