Re: How to Open a Coconut

[Brenda Strack <bstrack@ESC.ROCHESTER.K12.MN.US>]

Thanks to everyone who sent their "how to open a coconut" ideas.

I got myself into this nutty situation because a teacher asked me to talk about
rainforests ... so we read "The Great Kapok Tree" and listed all the things that
come from rainforests.  I brought in a mango and coconut to show, since I knew a
lot of theses fruits would be interesting to kids in Minnesota.  I love mangoes,
so I had no problem cutting it open and making a "hedgehog" out of it.  The kids
loved it!  The coconut was foreign to me, so I just talked about how coconuts
fall into the water and are able to float to other islands where they then grow.

I should have known that the kids would then expect me to open it up and sample
coconut milk and taste the "meat" inside.  (I had opened one up at home a year
ago using a hammer and screwdriver ... and ended up with a big mess.)

Anyway, I promised (being the magical librarian they think I am :) ) to discover
the answer by their next library visit of how to open a coconut succesfully.

Here are some ideas by some LM-Net people:

********************************************************************
Talk to Martha Stewart:


You might want to try her website
www.marthastewart.com

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I don't know what the Martha Stewart method was but my West Indian
parents would just hit it with a hammer or mallet or even crack it on
cement. That is after emptying it . To empty: drill a hole in one of the
eyes (on flat end) with an ice pick or corkscrew. Then invert the
coconut over a bowl and drain. It is less messy to open an empty
coconut.
Hope this helps.

*****************************************************************************

When I was little and coconuts still grew on the cocnut trees that lined
our street in Miami, my friends and I would gather them to open and get
the milk. First, you have to shake it to see if there's milk inside. If
you don't hear any sloshing, don't waste your time. We weren't allowed
to use knives, but my grandad would let us have a screwdriver and hammer
to pierce the husk and pull it off. That was work, because you had to
run the screwdriver under the edge of the husk to get it started.
Sometimes we'd throw the coconut against a curb to try to get it to
split.  Once the husk is off, you take the screwdriver or an icepick and
pierce the "eyes" at one end of the nut. Drain the milk into a glass -
or drink it out of the nut - and crack the nut open with a hammer.

*****************************************************************************
Now,First, drill a hole in the soft spot (well, two holes -- one for air, one to
pour through) and drain the coconut milk.  Then, on a clean towel or the
like on a hard surface (concrete is good), with a sturdy hammer, smack it
firmly but carefully to crack the shell ... then tap tap tap to further
split it.

*****************************************************************************
I didn't see it on Martha Stewart, but this works. First, pierce the
eyes with an awl and drain out the milk. Then, place the whole coconut
in a plastic bag and, holding onto the end of the bag so it doesn't run
away, smash the coconut with a hammer a couple of times.
Good luck.

*****************************************************************************

I lived on a tiny island in the western Pacific for two years while in
the Peace Corps.  I used coconuts every day.  I don't know what Martha
says, but I do know that the easiest way to open a fully ripe coconut
is to whack it on its "equator" with the dull edge of a hefty knife or
machete.  I'm calling the equator the imaginary line that encircles
the coconut between the "eyes" and the other end.  It may take more
than one whack and you have to be willing to let the hand holding the
coconut get wet when the coconut water drains out, so outside is the
best location. (It's not coconut MILK until it has been mixed with
grated coconut meat and strained).

*****************************************************************************

I don't watch Martha Stewart but the way I was taught to open a coconut was to
use two shovels.  Put the shovels back to back(spade to spade ) , at this
point the handles of the showels will be far apart, then showly press the
handles together( you will be bringing your hands together also.)  When your
hands and handles come to gether in the middle, the shell or husk will break
apart.

*****************************************************************************
Hammer and nail......my father's method.
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I didn't see Martha Stewart but it seems like I read once about putting it
in the oven for a few minutes.  Maybe one of our Pacific Island people will
have a good answer!

*****************************************************************************
I think when I was a kid in Hawaii we tuckd them securely between 2 rocks or in
a hole in the ground so they wouldn't roll and hit them with a hammer.  In later
years I think we baked them in an oven for a bit and they cracked as they
cooled.  I think Martha Stewert has a web site and if she doesn't she ought to.

*****************************************************************************

From the land of coconuts, greetings!  I'm not sure how Martha might do
it, but here is a couple methods that work for us (by the way, I'm
assuming that there is no husk on it)

Puncture the three "eyes" with a hammer and spike and drain the liquid
out.

Use a hammer or heavy meat cleaver and bang away, breaking it into small
enough pieces to let you get your spoon or knife in to remove the meat
portion.

I urge you not to consider doing this at the dinning table in from of
your treasured guests.  The pieces will fly all over h...ls half acre
and you will look like a complete idiot.

Other methods :

If you have a green husked one, use your machete to trim the top,
swinging the blade in smooth motions from about 1/3 the way down to the
top where the coconut has been attached to the tree.  With practice you
will be able to leave the white inner membrane intact.  Since,
obviously, the milk is inside, be sure that you drain before scooping
the meat out.  This method, by the way, is a show stopper for banquets,
and many a time I've seen my hostess cleave her way to celebrity status
by this process, adding instead a straw for her guests to partake of the
liquid refeshment she has so thoughtfully and skillfully provided.

I never could get my Canadian wife to accomplish this feat with any
regularity and so we provide glasses of wine instead, an unfortunate but
acceptable alternative.  I am certain, however, when she views the awe
in which other wives are held, she will be outback honing those skills.

Another method, though probably not quite useful to you there is this :
place a series of coconut crabs at the base of the tree in the morning.
By evening  the crabs have climbed the tree and devoured the meat from a
number of pods.  I usually allow 1 crab per five coconuts, but this
varies with its mating season.  Have your son/daughter hoist themselves
to the top to locate the stuffed animals.  Drop the crabs into baskets
on the ground and boil.  The emptied coconuts will sooner or later drop
to the ground and are easily discarded.

Of course, the one my mother used is probably the best.  She gave us
each our own coconut with instructions to open it and get the meat out.
Left to our own devices, we used a wealth of hammers, rocks, and garden
fountains to achieve the opening, spoons, shells, and tuna-tins to
obtain the meat.  At dinner she would announce she HAD planned to make
"xmb" but the kids ate all the coconut, so we'd have weiners instead.

Hope these instructions a clear.  Sorry I missed Martha's method - it
might have worked, but can't believe it would be so interesting as the
ones we use.

*****************************************************************************

with a screwdriver and a hammer.  Hammer the screw driver into  the eyes
and then break the coconut open when the shell cracks

*****************************************************************************

Thanks everybody!

Brenda Strack
Franklin / Longfellow Elem.
Rochester, MN
bstrack@esc.rochester.k12.mn.us

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