Meet The Coconut

Fruit or Vegetable Fruit

Color Leaves: green. Fruit (outside): green, brown, pink/red, orange-ish, yellow. Meat and water: white, pink

Edible Parts Coconut meat, water, flower, sap, heart

Season Year-Round

Seeds vs cutting Sprouts from mature fruit/seed

How it grows Tall trunk, large fronds, big heavy fruit

Nutrition Water: electrolytes/minerals. Meat: healthy fats, manganese

About the plant

The coconut plant has more diverse uses than any other plant in Hawai‘i. Every part of the plant is used including the trunk, husks, fruits, shells, leaves and fronds. Some of its uses include: cordage/sennit, roof thatching, musical instruments, clothing, canoe hulls, food containers, food and drinks, wrapping food or fish bait, games, transplanting root cuttings, base for kukui torches, kava drinking cup (‘apu), oil, brooms, toys, medicine, weaving and hats.

When to pick the fruit?

The coconut is an extremely versatile fruit. When is it ready? Well, that depends on what you want to enjoy!

Coconut Water

Pick the coconut when it is 7-10 months old. 9ish months old coconuts are bright colored and very heavy. You will not hear any water when you shake it, but will give you sweet water and spoon meat. At 10 months, the coconut begins to change color, sometimes yellowish and the top begins to cave in. This is when the meat hardens a bit more and the water is at its sweetest.

Coconut Meat and Coconut Milk

11 month old coconuts are called “shakers”. When you shake them, you hear the water inside. Water has mostly turned into a thick meat that is perfect for eating as a thick coconut meat or making coconut milk. The color is more dull/yellowish, the top is caved in and the skin begins to wrinkle.

Coconut Cream and Oil

11-12 month old coconuts are often brown and dried out a bit. They usually fall from the tree at this stage (which makes picking easy)! They have the highest fat and oil content at this stage and are perfect for coconut cream and oil!

Sprouted Coconut Meat

When the coconut sprouts, the meat has a bit of a spongy almost cotton candy texture. It’s very unique and delicious! I hope you try it someday!