Fresh Coconut water from the coconut - tastes salty - coconuts gone bad? - Tiki Drinks and Food

MT Mai Tai Tiki Socialite Exotic Isle of Alameda Joined: Mar 21, 2004 Posts: 1438	MT Mai Tai Posted posted on Mon, Aug 1, 2011 2:08 AM In doing more coconut research online, I read that if the coconut is husked, make sure to check that the three eyes aren't exceptionally dark or black. They should be a little darker than the coconut, but close to the coconut's color. If the three eyes are black, chances are that the coconut is infected with bacteria. Jungle Trader had me going for a while that mine were infected with the Salt Worm... I guess there is a trade off for really young "green" coconuts vs ones that have aged a little - the water is supposed to be sweeter in the "green" ones, (especially if it's still in the husk and the husk is really green), but then there is hardly any coconut meat inside, and it's really jelly like. As the coconut matures, you get more meat, but the sweetness is supposed to dissipate a little. I didn't think that the coconuts that I purchased were overly matured, as their color was a light tan color, and definitely not as dark as the medium to dark brown ones that I see in the grocery stores. Next time I buy these already pre-husked, I'll look for the white ones. My next coconut shopping excursion will most likely be to Berkeley Bowl, unless others can suggest a better place in the S.F. Bay Area. I'm going to try both without and with husks (if I can find them with husks), to see if that makes a difference. On 2011-07-31 19:20, jingleheimerschmidt wrote: To open, use a machete, hatchet, or knife you don't care about. I use a wood shake hatchet (half hatchet, half hammer). Weight is an attribute. Carefully remove the husk (the white part) so you see the wood of the nut. Hit the top in a circle fashion in an approx 2-3" diam with intention but not Conan like force. You want to crease the opening not destroy it. Once you've gone all the way around, pry the top open. Although mine were already husked, I used a similar method to open them. Instead of using a hatchet, I used a long kitchen knife, and whacked the coconut along the "equator" using the blunt side of the knife. It worked perfectly, a crack formed along the "equator", and it took about 30 seconds or less to have it cracked perfectly in half! But next time, I think I'm going to try this method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWzFn_ciuRU&NR=1&feature=fvwp

In doing more coconut research online, I read that if the coconut is husked, make sure to check that the three eyes aren't exceptionally dark or black. They should be a little darker than the coconut, but close to the coconut's color. If the three eyes are black, chances are that the coconut is infected with bacteria. Jungle Trader had me going for a while that mine were infected with the Salt Worm...

I guess there is a trade off for really young "green" coconuts vs ones that have aged a little - the water is supposed to be sweeter in the "green" ones, (especially if it's still in the husk and the husk is really green), but then there is hardly any coconut meat inside, and it's really jelly like. As the coconut matures, you get more meat, but the sweetness is supposed to dissipate a little.

I didn't think that the coconuts that I purchased were overly matured, as their color was a light tan color, and definitely not as dark as the medium to dark brown ones that I see in the grocery stores. Next time I buy these already pre-husked, I'll look for the white ones. My next coconut shopping excursion will most likely be to Berkeley Bowl, unless others can suggest a better place in the S.F. Bay Area. I'm going to try both without and with husks (if I can find them with husks), to see if that makes a difference.

On 2011-07-31 19:20, jingleheimerschmidt wrote:
To open, use a machete, hatchet, or knife you don't care about. I use a wood shake hatchet (half hatchet, half hammer). Weight is an attribute. Carefully remove the husk (the white part) so you see the wood of the nut. Hit the top in a circle fashion in an approx 2-3" diam with intention but not Conan like force. You want to crease the opening not destroy it. Once you've gone all the way around, pry the top open.

Although mine were already husked, I used a similar method to open them. Instead of using a hatchet, I used a long kitchen knife, and whacked the coconut along the "equator" using the blunt side of the knife. It worked perfectly, a crack formed along the "equator", and it took about 30 seconds or less to have it cracked perfectly in half! But next time, I think I'm going to try this method:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWzFn_ciuRU&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Post #600230 by Mai Tai on Mon, Aug 1, 2011 2:08 AM