Young Thai Coconuts

[Miss Marie]

Does anyone know where I can buy these? Preferrably online :)
I've never had them, but I do love coconut.

I live in a very small town and they only carry the mature coconuts. I have seen the young thai's in the local grocery store, but I've read that they're treated with chemicals.

There are so many recipes that call for young coconut meat, I'd like to try them :)

[raweater]

Any thai/trimmed coconut is dipped in toxic chemicals, it's the only way to keep the exposed flesh from rotting. Only whole green young coconuts aren't dipped.

[RawVee]

Actually, even if the shaved-down Thai coconuts are dipped, they're fine to eat. I go through about one a day. The shell is so hard that, if it is dipped, nothing gets through it. Dipping is more for mold, as coconuts don't have to worry about many pests, due to their tough shell. There is no flesh exposed on a trimmed-down Thai coconut. The flesh is inside, along with the water.

If a young coconut is bad, say rancid, you can smell it right away. The natural smell is a buttery coconut scent. I'm incredibly sensitive to pesticides and stuff; if I eat produce with anything chemical on it, my throat gets very itchy and sore, and I get an awful metallic taste in my mouth. I've never experienced that with young coconuts, and I've been eating them for about three years.

It's tough when you live in a small town to find Asian markets. But if there's one within driving distance of you, it's well worth it to go and buy a case. They're much cheaper. If that's not possible, there are a number of online sources. Another option may be to find a friend who lives a market that would be willing to ship them for you.

If you do manage to find a market with the Thai coconuts, look for no mold on the outside. If you see green, that's just the remnants of the green husk. The mold is usually purple in color. Also, gently press the flat bottom with your thumb. If it seems excessively spongey and soft, look for one that's a bit firmer.

Good luck!

[Miss Marie]

I found some at rawguru.com - he says that they're not treated with any chemicals.

They're sold 10 in a case and last about 4 days in the fridge . . . . SO, I'm going to be cracking a lot of nuts and putting the insides in the freezer :)

It's going to be a P.I.T.A. but it'll be worth it. The price comes out to be about $4.50 a coconut. I know some people might find that outragous, but it's ok :)

[RawVee]

They'll last more than 4 days. :) I keep mine for over a week and they're fine; just keep them in the fridge.

[rawstrength]

Make sure you check your grocery store / asian market freezer. I buy unadulterated frozen young coconut meat and juice. I think it's fresher like this, anyway.
Of course, it's not very environmentally friendly, so I use it as a rare treat and try to buy local organic whenever possible.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

I heard about a study that was done where young thai coconuts were tested for preservatives ("dipping") and all came back negative. This seems to be a myth, but perhaps not for all :)

[saxmaam]

I heard about a study that was done where young thai coconuts were tested for preservatives ("dipping") and all came back negative. This seems to be a myth, but perhaps not for all :)

If so, that's fascinating, not to mention good news. Could it be true?

[raweater]

They are dipped for long periods of time and the shell is not that hard in young coconuts, and dipped for the amount of time they do the chemical does make it all the way through. I know because I easily detect the taste of the chemical in both the meat and water of young coconuts, perhaps you're mistaking it for the actual taste of the coconut, try an organic or whole green one, there's no comparison in the chemical free taste.

There is flesh exposed, what you're referring to as the flesh is the nut, the white part around the nut is the fruit. It's as if you took an apricot, trimmed it like a thai coconut around the nut (pit) and said there was no flesh exposed.

[raweater]

If so, that's fascinating, not to mention good news. Could it be true?

I don't think it's possible maybe they just didn't test for the particular chemical they use.

As I said in my previous post, a trimmed coconut has it's flesh exposed, like if you trimmed an apricot into a thai coconut shape around the pit. It will rot unless loaded with chemicals. You can't have exposed flesh of a fruit like that not rot in it's natural state.

[raweater]

Make sure you check your grocery store / asian market freezer. I buy unadulterated frozen young coconut meat and juice. I think it's fresher like this, anyway.
Of course, it's not very environmentally friendly, so I use it as a rare treat and try to buy local organic whenever possible.

I just came back from another asian store than the one I usually go to which I had been to 3-4 times before but they didn't have young coconuts, this time they did but only the trimmed ones, I decided to try some of those to see if they were different and they didn't have the strong chemical smell like the ones from the other store (but the other store does sell the whole green ones too). They were also wrapped in plastic wrap, I'm not sure if the ones from the other store are since I normally buy the green ones there. Maybe the plastic is enough to prevent them from rotting or maybe they used a less smelly preservative.

They also had frozen coconut meat but it had sodium benzoate I beleive listed in the ingredients, id the frozen coconut meat you find free of preservatives?

Thanks

Edit: I found this USDA document saying they are dipped in sulfites for several minutes:
http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/hb66/055coconut.pdf

"To prevent browning of the remaining husk, nuts are dipped in 1 to 3% sodium meta-bisulfite for 2 to 5 min and then wrapped in plastic film (Tongdee et al., 1991). Sometimes fungicide is included in the sulfite solution. Alternatively, the husk is removed before dipping in sulfite solution. Fruit are available year-round from most tropical countries"

[RawVee]

Okay.

Again, I've been eating Thai coconuts, the shaved white ones, for years. I'm incredibly sensitive to chemicals--I can't eat anything from our farmers market because it's all sprayed and I can taste it.

That said...

Here's what they are dipped in: Sodium metabisulfite
It is used as a food additive, mainly as a preservative and is sometimes identified as E223.
It may cause allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to sulfites.
It is present in many dilutable squashes (i.e. fruit juice concentrates) and in candy bars such as Mounds. Sodium metabisulfite and potassium metabisulfite are the primary ingredients in Campden tablets, used for wine and beer making. Sodium metabisulfite has no side effects; it is oxidised in the liver to harmless sulphate and excreted in the urine.

I've never had a reaction to a coconut.

I'm not trying to poison people. I've had plenty of coconuts that are in the green husk, and they taste exactly like the ones I get at the Asian market. They have always been wrapped in plastic. The huge green-husked ones that Whole Foods sells for way too much are the same exact taste, consistency, etc. as the ones I get in the market. They just take more power tools to open. :)

I know it's easy to get nervous about a drastic rumor floating around, but the coconuts that are in the Asian markets will not poison you. Believe me, if there is something wrong with your coconut, you will smell it and taste it.

xo
V

[Alina]

www.rawguru.com has recently started selling organic young coconuts, check him out.