coconut cream

[SoulJourner]

Does anyone have information about coconuts? I was eating a lot of coconut cream we made ourselves from young Thai coconuts bought at Whole Foods, but from what I've read they are probably sprayed with something once they're hulled.  I've also read that coconut palms are not usually sprayed, so the ones in hulls are theoretically safe - although I don't know how to tell if they're overly old?  Has anyone researched this to know where they can be purchased organic or with confidence that they haven't been sprayed? I would love to have the coconut cream back in my regular diet - purchasing it ready-made is prohibitively expensive.

[eveheart]

The young Thai coconuts that I've seen at WF and other markets have had the husks removed and have been dipped in spoilage retardant, then wrapped in plastic wrap. They stay "fresh" for a long time.

I've seen untreated young coconuts for sale online, but the shipping cost is very high. Google "organic thai coconut" and see what you come up with.

My preference is to order products from Tropical Traditions. I get their flaked coconut, and sometimes their coconut cream or coconut oil.

I know this is not exactly what you are looking for, and I wish there were a better alternative. When I was very young and lived for a while in a coconut-growing country, I loved getting young coconut from vendors with machetes. First, they'd whack the top off the coconut and we'd drink the water from a straw. Then, we'd hand the coconut back to the machete guy, and he'd whack again, cutting the coconut in half. We'd scrape out the young flesh with a wedge of coconut husk. Oh, my! So good!

[bharminder]

Well, i think if you are getting the young thai coconuts, there is no need to make coconut cream because the flesh is so soft and it's mostly water in there. I can't say anything about them being sprayed because I'm not sure, but if those young thai coconuts were cheaper I would get them as a staple (they are usually > $2.50 per coconut).

I get the brown mature coconuts and make coconut cream from that. Is that what you mean by coconut palms? I don't eat the flesh by itself becuase I heard it has phytic acid that chewing it can cause loss of minerals in the teeth.

Anyway, here is a link to Aajonus Vonderplanitz's recommendation for how to make coconut cream, what kind of coconuts to get, and how to choose good coconuts.

http://www.life-enthusiast.com/index/Articles/Vonderplanitz/Recipe_for_Living_Without_Disease

(just use the Find option in your browser and search for 'Making coconut cream' or something like that. )

[SoulJourner]

Thanks for the comments.  Still not sure how to tell if the mature brown ones are really free of pesticides, none locally carry the organic label.

[p0wer]

I don't think coconuts with their hard shells could easily get contaminated by pesticides?

This seems to show that http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12113343 although I don't have the whole paper to check better.

[eveheart]

Speaking of coconut cream, I made some this morning with a mature coconut and a Samson Juicer. Of course, getting the coconut meat out of the shell isn't easy, but I didn't need to remove the brown skin because the juicer expelled all the solids. I put the meat through the juicer three times and got about 6-8 generous spoons full of cream. It's way better than the stuff in the jar.

Regarding pesticides, my daughter and I have a theory that says pesticides cannot get through thick skins. That means we don't need to buy organic bananas, coconuts, watermelon, etc. On the outside chance that we are mistaken, please do not correct us.

[cherimoya_kid]

Regarding pesticides, my daughter and I have a theory that says pesticides cannot get through thick skins. That means we don't need to buy organic bananas, coconuts, watermelon, etc. On the outside chance that we are mistaken, please do not correct us.

That's probably generally true.  The issue with fruit quality isn't so much pesticides as nutrient content.  Take a look at my nutrition and Brix thread--

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/general-discussion/brix-and-health/

Generally, high-nutrition fruit doesn't require as much pest control because many insects/diseases are simply unable to attack it. 

[Ioanna]

Thanks for the comments.  Still not sure how to tell if the mature brown ones are really free of pesticides, none locally carry the organic label.

at a wf's i used to go to, the brown coconuts said organic, but the young coconuts did not.  the only problem is that when i used to buy the brown ones, about a third of what i bought was spoiled on the inside. If you do buy these, look very carefully for any little crack or hole that could allow air in. when i bought the young coconuts, only one on rare occasion would be spoiled.

I don't think coconuts with their hard shells could easily get contaminated by pesticides?

This seems to show that http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12113343 although I don't have the whole paper to check better.

i wonder what their samples were, this study was in brazil.

Speaking of coconut cream, I made some this morning with a mature coconut and a Samson Juicer.

i used to make this too!, it is divine tasting!!  there is nothing in the store even closely comparable.  i haven't made this in so long, but it is really good

[RawZi]

    Ann wigmore was sensitive to Irradiation and chemicals and she said coconut and watermelon were pretty safe.  Citrus she said should be tree ripened and organic as well as all the rest of the food, perhaps excluding parsley.  You know bananas and tomatoes are artificially ripened for market.

Speaking of coconut cream, I made some this morning with a mature coconut and a Samson Juicer. Of course, getting the coconut meat out of the shell isn't easy, but I didn't need to remove the brown skin because the juicer expelled all the solids. I put the meat through the juicer three times and got about 6-8 generous spoons full of cream. It's way better than the stuff in the jar.

Regarding pesticides, my daughter and I have a theory that says pesticides cannot get through thick skins. That means we don't need to buy organic bananas, coconuts, watermelon, etc. On the outside chance that we are mistaken, please do not correct us.