Sprouted Coconut :)

The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is a common sight on most tropical islands, and is one of the most valuable plants for humans due to the multitude of uses it provides, which legitimizes its title as the "Tree of Life."  

Sprouted coconut 

In fact, across the Polynesian archipelago of the South Pacific, every part of the coconut palm is utilized for a specific purpose, from food to shelter to tools.  The palm fronds are woven together to create everything from thatched roofs for island-style huts to floor mats and baskets.  The woody material in the trunk is used for building purposes, and the fibrous interior of the coconut husks is used in and around lava rock borders of tropical gardens.  The hard shell of the coconut is made into tools such as bowls and spoons, and chips of the shell make an excellent type of charcoal due to the slow-burning oils helping extend the duration of a fire.  All of these incredible uses and I haven't even mentioned how good they are to eat!

Young coconuts

The young green coconuts contain delicious and nutritious coconut water, an excellent source of rehydration and replenishment of electrolytes.  Coconut water is isotonic, meaning it has a similar electrolyte balance as blood plasma, and has been used by doctors as an intravenous solution and injected directly into the bloodstream to prevent dehydration, especially during emergency situations such as World War II where other intravenous solutions were either not available or in short supply.  The water sealed inside the coconut is sterile, free from pathogens, is non-allergenic, does not harm red blood cells, and is readily accepted by the body.  On many small tropical islands, coconut water is the only source of safe drinking water for the local inhabitants where rainfall is minimal.  The nutritional profile of coconut water includes containing a complex array of vitamins and minerals including high levels of potassium, chlorides, calcium, and magnesium, along with a variety of trace minerals, and a moderate amount of sodium, protein, and natural sugars.  Some of the health properties attributed to coconut water include its therapeutic effect on the urinary and reproductive systems, minimizing the effects of glaucoma, preventing the formation of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), promoting digestion, and as an antioxidant.  The "fluid of life" living up to its name in a variety of ways.  

Opening the coconut husk

Removal of coconut from husk

As the coconut matures, the flesh or meat lining the inside of the shell begins to thicken and become tougher, and the water inside loses some of its flavor, while the green exterior begins to fade and becomes brown. The flesh of these mature coconuts are used to make coconut milk, thicker and whiter than the clear coconut water, as well as copra, which is the source of coconut oil production, and the major source of income for most small tropical islands.  

Botanically speaking, the "Tree of Life" is not really a tree, but instead is a member of the palm family Palmae.  These botanical characteristics include a woody trunk, perennial (as opposed to annual) growth, leaves folded like a fan, and along with grasses and lilies, the production of a single 'seed leaf' which classifies them as monocotyledons.  

Inside of a sprouted coconut

Coconuts can float for around three months in salt water until they get washed up on a sandy shoreline of some tropical beach, and despite the nutritionally-poor sands as a soil substrate to root in, with the presence of available fresh water the coconut will still sprout, and grow into a mature palm in about six years, thriving in this otherwise harsh environment.  Once a coconut sprouts, the water inside develops into a ball of foam, spreading out toward the flesh and filling up the interior of the coconut.  While I fully encourage allowing a sprouted coconut to grow into a mature palm, which can produce hundreds of new coconuts per year, in cases where space is lacking to allow a new coconut palm to form, harvesting the sprouted coconut for food is an incredibly delicious treat.  The ball of spongy white foam inside a sprouted coconut is such a delicious food that it has many different names, including coconut foam, the apple of the coconut, and coconut cotton candy, but I think the closest description that it resembles in taste and texture is coconut angel food cake.  Not only is this tropical delicacy nutritious and tasty, but it is also quite filling.  My first time sampling this beautiful blessing from nature and it instantly became one of my favorite foods!

Coconut angel food cake, so delicious!