spoon meat

by Mary Lovein
(Holualoa, Hawaii)

perfect and the water was sweet

The water is sweet and the meat of the immature coconut is called spoon meat. It can be just a tablespoon of gel or thicker, as good as flan.
The next stage is rubber meat and then the hard crunchy with very little water. My favorite is right at this stage and its a gamble unless you know the tree's performance. I have a coconut connection at the farmer's market. Peter knows just the kind I like and saves them for me so I have a regular supply. Back in the old Maui days, I learned a great technique for opening them with a machete in as few moves as possible keeping my fingers and toes far from the blade. Its kind of karate. Peter gave me a new tool though, its this nifty thing from Brazil that removes the stem and cuts a perfectly round hole for a straw.
m