coconuts-dumb question

[ab_raw]

There's been a few threads about coconuts and I'm really confused.

How can you tell if a coconut is young or old? What is the difference and what do you all do with a young one vs an old one.

Thanks!
Anita

[zig_zag]

young coconuts are nut hairy

[FloridaPatty]

young coconuts are nut hairy

What's a hairy nut?

[zig_zag]

HAH! Sorry; typo. I meant to write "not hairy".

[Blazin'Jane]

Not hairy and they are white on the outside, not dark brown. Also they're shaped like a corn silo -- with a cone shape on the top. I haave a hard time finding them i central Missouri, but when a store has them I get some! Young ones, that is. They have ethe most good stuff!;)

[ab_raw]

Thanks for clearing that up!

So the brown hairy ones are mature. What can one do with them?

And the young ones, what do you do with those?

[Pitaya]

hey ab_raw!

I posted a very similar question recently (don't ask me how to find it, sorry!) but i did find out that the white house-shaped ones are dipped in fermaldehyde and this is then absorbed in the coconut and ingested by us. I had a white one at a restaurant befoe i knew this and it tasted fine to me, but now this big red flag has arisen so i personally have chosen to avoid them.

i wish i had the beautiful photo someone posted on my thread when i asked the question, showing the difference between the white fermeldehyde ones and the green round natural young coconuts. apparently ALL the white ones are coated because nature doesn't shape nuts (or anything) in that way, and i think the tops of the white ones are open slightly at the pointed tip but i'm really not an expert here. just passing along what i know...

as for the brown hairy nuts (LOL zigzag)....I use the meat of these and make my own shredded coconut and freeze the shreds for later use. this is because i can't find any young green coconuts where i live (had a hard enough time finding the white ones!) but if i had them i would use green. they are superior in nutrition and much more delicious in recipes.

hope this helps!
pitaya

[Pitaya]

oops....in case you aren't familiar, shredded coconut from the hairy guys can be used in cookies, smoothies, cakes, mostly deserts that i can think of - they are good just eating the shreds on their own too. yummmm! much more natural than the bags coated with sulphur and icing sugar in the grocery store:eek:

[iaborn42]

I think this link will take you to the coconut thread she is talking about.

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=39230

[Pitaya]

that's it! check out the photograph there...thanks iaborn42 :)

[Snoozy]

So when they say "young" or "mature", are they actually talking about the same type of coconut? I mean, is it young if you get it green or white but if it's not opened will the same coconut eventually get hairy and turn brown?

[Clare]

And the only way I can open a mature coconut is to take it outside and whack it as hard as I can on the street. I take a bowl also to catch as much water as I can. If the water is bad, sometimes the coconut is OK, and if the water is sweet the coconut will be fantastic. I use what I think is a strawberry huller from OXO (looks like a short knife but it's not sharp, just flat and pointed) to pry the meat from the shell. We eat it in chunks with the light brown "skin" still on. I guess some people trim that off but that's difficult and we don't mind it...

[carolg]

Pitaya,
Thanks for sharing. One comment not being cat owner, but thinking they need some form of meat and/or fish. Have you been on any "barf lists for cats." They feed their cats natural as you are doing here. I know my dog eats raw meat too. I'm not sure what the cat people here say, but I thought there was some talk a while ago about feeding cats. I'm not saying you aren't doing it right, but just another point of information here. You sound like a caring pet owner as many just go for the bagged "nutrient void" food which we know is a waste of money, but convenient. Best to you on your journey. I have to look for "green" coconuts vs. the white ones I was going to buy. Sure glad I got this information before I was a case or two up from Asian market.

PS...just found some talk here but my computer won't show me the link, but do search, if interested, for Awesome cat now 100% RAW!!!!

carolg

[jami]

I have never seen the green coconuts around town. Is there anyone who lives in colorado who has seen them about and if so where. The next question is how do you open them?

Thank you!:rolleyes: