GARDENING: CRACKING THE COCONUT CODE |
From chocolate bars stuffed with desiccated coconut to chilled piña coladas, from desserts to South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine, coconut often provides the definitive flavour.
As a versatile fruit, it yields oil, liquid and water — each extracted differently and each with its own uses. Edible oil is extracted from coconut meat — the dried white fleshy part also known as kernel. Separating the oil from milk solids produces coconut milk — in paste form — and milk is also extracted from coconut meat. Finally, coconut water is the liquid you can hear sloshing inside green and brown coconuts.
While consuming coconut offers a variety of benefits, its nutritional value varies depending on the form in which it is being consumed. Coconut water and milk are rich in electrolytes and a good source of hydration. The meat part is full of energy, fibre, manganese, copper and high in fat. However, this fat is digestible and satiating, which makes it a good option for those looking to manage their weight.
Gardeners have developed a method to assess the amount of water within the harvested coconuts. If one shakes the harvested fruit, the splashing of coconut water can be clearly heard within. A moderate, clear sloshing sound indicates the right amount of water, while silence means it has dried out and excessive noise means it is underripe or mostly water.
The coconut gives oil, water, milk and meat. Getting to any of it requires years of waiting and, eventually, someone willing to climb a very tall tree
The coconut gives oil, water, milk and meat. Getting to any of it requires years of waiting and, eventually, someone willing to climb a very tall tree
It takes time and practice to predict the amount of coconut water within. As a rule, young, green coconuts have more water than older brown ones; the water gets absorbed into the white meat as the coconut ages, making them better for producing coconut milk.
When completely dry, the fleshy part — known locally as giri — is desiccated or shredded and used as garnish on desserts. Coconut oil, meanwhile, is widely used in hair care, and as a lotion and moisturiser.
None of this arrives quickly.
Depending upon the coconut variety and environment, it can take between three to eight years from the sprouting of the coconut seed for the tree to produce fruit. When the tree is preparing to fruit, the first sign is the appearance of a spathe — a type of green bract which encases thousands of small, separate male and female yellow flowers within. They grow on a structure called the spadix.
Female flowers are sparse, usually present on the lower end and are much smaller. These are the flowers that eventually become fruit. Male flowers are relatively bigger, have pollen within and occupy a large part of the spadix.
From pollination, depending upon variety, it takes around one year for the coconut to fully mature into a brown fruit for food. However, it can be harvested a few months earlier. At that time, it is likely to be green and contain more of the water and less of the meat.
Harvesting a coconut is trickier compared to other fruits. Harvesting one means climbing a straight, slippery, branchless tree, some 50 to 100 feet above the ground. There are experts — mostly athletic youth with past experience — who hire themselves out for the job.
They climb the tree using a looped roped around both their body and the trunk, inching upwards in small jumps. Often, the harvesters are assisted by those who stay on the ground — to collect the coconuts and also to hold a piece of cloth or net as the de facto safety measure in case of a fall.
While there is no fixed fee for harvesting coconuts, the going rate among harvesters these days is around one thousand rupees per tree. Sometimes, they may ask you for two coconuts and half the money. It depends as much on your bargaining skills as it does on the principles of supply and demand.
Published in Dawn, EOS, April 12th, 2026