Several weeks ago I received a tropical fruit gift basket and one item included was a coconut. My first reaction upon seeing it was, "What the heck am I supposed to do with that!?!" I had never worked with a real coconut before, just the bagged shredded coconut you get in the supermarket. On the counter it sat, watching me, staring at me, mocking me.
Occasionally I picked it up, walked over to the trash can, but no, I did not throw it out. I refused to be beaten by a mere coconut. I would shake it and hear the liquid inside; that is a good sign that shows that the coconut "meat" is still fresh and moist. Then I decided to do the most insane thing possible; I gave it to my dog to play with. She loved tossing and chasing it around the yard, but then I noticed that she had stopped and was licking it profusely. The coconut had a slight crack, and liquid was leaking out.
The coconut was small and I did not give much thought to cracking it open and trying to do something with the liquid myself. Remember, I was looking at it as a protagonist; an enemy that needed to be conquered. Yes, I could have gotten a hammer, cracked it open in a proper way eventually. What fun would that be? Anyway, I grabbed the coconut, took it out to the driveway and let it drop and split open completely. The outdoor cats enjoyed the treat of the spilled coconut liquid and I felt good spoiling them a bit.The final tool you will need is a grater for shredding the deskinned coconut meat. Now you might want to use a food processor, but the meat is very moist, so do not be surprised to constantly be cleaning your blades. In this instance, a grater is just more logical and efficient to use. After shredding, I was able to fill a quart size freezer bag; squeeze the air out before sealing and it will last about six months in the freezer.
Would I ever try this
again? Yes! I have a bag full of freshly roasted and
shredded coconut that I created with my own hands. I will be more careful when cracking it open
though, and save the liquid for another use.
Sorry dog and kitties, but this treat you only get one shot at.
Mary Cokenour