If you didn't already know, which I'm sure my Northern readers didn't, because I never did, coconut water is extremely good for you. Don't be confused and think coconut milk, that creamy sweet ingredient for recipes. We're talking the water inside the coconut itself.
Seeing as they are very plentiful here in Miami, I decided that it would only be wise to snag a few on my biking trips and drink the water. It's basically like having a Gatorade for free, but even BETTER for you during a workout.
I'm going to start carrying a big fat drill bit and plastic straw with me because using a fillet knife isn't the easiest. The big drill bit will enable me to hand-drill a hole into the coconut, and the straw, well, that's easy enough to figure out. However, the fillet knife sufficed for the tutorial that follows.
Your common Palm tree, heavy with coconuts. Perfect for the picking.
Note: Usually I choose small trees where I can either shake or stand on my bike seat to reach the coconuts. Don't attempt to climb a Palm tree, it's VERY painful, as my chest and leg scratches prove. Also, if you choose to shake the tree, you NEED to catch the coconuts. Even a small fall will crack them and you'll be out a perfectly good coconut.
The tools of the trade. Best to choose a green coconut. Not sure why, but that's what the internet told me.
Starting from the end that was previously connected to the tree, begin by cutting away as much of the outer shell as possible. Shave off more and more coconut shell until you can shave no more.
After you've cut away as much shell as possible, cut out a little circle into the innermost heart of the coconut, where the water resides. Make it big enough that you don't have to cut out a separate air/ventilation hole.
Once you have the hole cut into the coconut, cut out a triangular channel to make the drinking process easier. No channel means you're going to spill it all over your face, clothes, etc.
Enjoy your sweet reward. A coconut this size produces about 1.5 cups of water. I'd say that's nearly equivalent to a 20oz bottle of Gatorade in vitamin and electrolyte content.
Plus, you also just picked, opened, and drank from a coconut. How cool is that?
PS- Who do I know from New Britain, Connecticut? I see them on the traffic indicator all the time, but I'm not sure who I know that lives there.
1 comment:
cool tool n look the coconut is yummy !
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