Coconut And Its Many Uses

Coconut has many uses. Many of which most people don't even know about. With this article I am going to talk about 4 different coconut products and their uses.

Coconut water tastes great

 

Coconut water

Coconut water contains cytokinins which has been shown to help regulate cell growth. As such, one of the uses of coconut water is helping to prevent wrinkles and other skin problems. It keeps the connective tissue strong and hydrated. Using skin care products made with coconut water every day helps to reduce problems related with acne, age spots, wrinkles, stretch marks, cellulite, and much more. Coconut water can also help you lose weight by increasing your body's metabolism.

Virgin Coconut Oil

Virgin Coconut Oil is a great replacement for those unhealthy cooking oils your might be using now. It can be used in any recipe that requires butter or margarine. Virgin coconut oil can also be used for skin care. It is a great moisturizer and can be found in many soaps and other cosmetic products.

Coconut Oil

The most common use of coconut oil is for cooking. But what you might not know is that it can also be used as diesel engine fuel. It has a high gelling temperature, a high viscosity and a minimum combustion chamber temperature of 500 °C which makes it perfect for use as diesel engine fuel. It can also be used as an engine lubricant and as a herbicide for combating weeds.

Desiccated coconut

Desiccated coconut is the dried white meat of the coconut and comes in many different cuts. Fine, medium, fancy shred, flakes and chips. It is mainly used as chocolate filling and in cakes and biscuits. A lot of bakeries use it to provide texture to sweets. Another common use is for decorations on cakes and cupcakes. It can also be used in ice cream and smoothies. When boils down, desiccated coconut is used in a variety of ways all over the world.

Harvesting Coconut - Here Is How It Works

Coconuts are harvested from coconut tree at different times throughout the year. Each location has a different harvesting time and frequency. If you are on the west, harvesting takes place 6 to 12 times a year. If you have a garden that is well maintained, you can harvest once a month when the nuts are mature. On the other hand, if the soil is in poor condition, you will only be able to harvest about 6 times.

You should only harvest coconuts when they are fully mature. The only exception is for special markets where mature nuts aren't required. Usually, it takes a coconut about 12 months to become mature. And this happens only after the opening of the flower bunches. If a tree has regular and heavy bearings, the bunches will appear and mature in about thirty days. If this is the case you can pick them every month.

If there is a long interval between harvests, you can harvest two or three bunches at a time. You will find this most often on the West Coast. That is because on the West Coast green husks are in high demand.

Harvesting coconut with a knife attached to a long bamboo pole.

Usually the harvesting is done by climbing a tree with a rope ring around the feet or ankles. Once at the top of the tree, the coconut will be tapped to see if it is indeed mature. If the nut is mature, it will be cut at the base of the stalk. It will then drop down to the ground. If the ground is thought to be too hard, the coconuts will instead be lowered down with a rope. The climber is also responsible for cleaning the crown and removing any dry leaves, sheaths and spathes.
If you are located in an area where the trees are very tall, harvesting will be done with a knife attached to a long bamboo pole.