$1.14 = Cheap Fun

Riley and I were at the grocery store one afternoon and he asked to buy a coconut. 

"It's only $1.14".

I wasn't sure what I would do with a coconut but I figured a night out or a craft project for all 3 usually costs more than $1.14. 

Trying to crack it could be cheap entertainment... 

We bought the coconut.

I found it quite amusing how hard the kids worked that evening and how fast they got their showers knowing the reward was to crack the coconut.

I had to Google how to do it...they are really hard!

First find the three 'eyes' on the one end. 

One is soft.

Put a screw driver or something sharp through it and make a large hole.

Wiggle the sharp tool around until there is a wide opening in the eye of the coconut. 

Once the eye is opened up, pour the milk out into a cup. 

You might have to shake the nut a bit to get it all out.

The milk of the coconut is supposed to be really sweet and have good flavor. 

If the coconut is good that is; if it isn't then its bitter tasting. 

This coconut?

Was bitter...Although three claimed it tasted so good. 

You be the judge by this photograph:

They said it was soooo good.  I tasted a sip.  It was so nasty/bitter.

Next step is to get to the meat of the coconut. 

To make the shell brittle, put the coconut in a 400* oven for 15-20 minutes.

When it has baked, the coconut will have some cracks in it. 

This is where you want to aim.

My kids thought it was great that I was letting them freely swing a hammer at food. 

Action shots aren't the best with cell photos ;o)

After quite the effort, we finally made a dent in the coconut.

Next step is to break it into pieces and peel them away from the meat.



Eat the white flesh and enjoy! 

I tried a bit of coconut and it wasn't too great. The kiddos insisted that it was wonderful.

From what I saw on You Tube videos, if the milk is bitter, the whole coconut is bad.  So, I'm not giving up on the idea of drinking fresh coconut milk and eating fresh coconut.  I'm just going to assume that they are better actually fresh off the tree instead of from a store shelf in Northern Ohio.