Coconuts and Why They are So Hard
Coconuts grow on very tall trees in tropical regions as far north as Hawaii and as far south as Madagascar. These trees are called coconut palms.![](https://old.woodmanspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/DSC03200-Edit-min-300x200.jpg)
Using a Machete to Open a Coconut
When you’re removing the husk and opening a coconut, you may wonder which is better, a knife or a machete. Depending on your use of the coconut, a knife may work fine, especially for an immature coconut where you’re just trying to get at the water. Even then, you’ll want to use a heavy knife for the task. But if you’re faced with a mature coconut, you won’t want a lesser blade for the job. A machete is what the professionals that harvest coconuts use, and it’s the kind of blade you should turn to, as well. To remove the husk with your machete:- Place the coconut on its side on a stable surface such as a tree stump.
- Use the machete to carefully remove the cap, where the stem attached it to the bunch. Remove it by lightly tapping it with the back of the machete.
- Again using the backside of the machete, tap the husk firmly to make a narrow grove.
- Now hold the coconut vertically with the area that had the cap facing up.
- Use the hook of the machete, stab into the husk near the top about an inch from where you made the groove earlier.
- Twist the machete away from the groove. This will split off a few inches of husk from the underlying fruit.
- Repeat several times to tear off a strip of husk.
- Continue to do this all the way around the coconut until the husk is completely removed.
![cracked open coconut](https://old.woodmanspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/coconut-cracked-open-300x200.jpg)
- If there is a fibrous husk covering the “eyes”, remove this first.
- Place a bowl on your workspace to collect the coconut water.
- Place a thick kitchen towel, folded several times, into the palm of your “off” hand (the one not using the machete). Cradle the coconut on this towel in your off-hand.
- With the coconut over the bowl, lightly tap the coconut with the backside of the machete all the way around the centerline of the coconut to crack it open.