Hunting and Gathering the Wild Coconut

If there's one thing I love about the tropics, right up there with warm ocean and sunshine, it has to be coconuts. I could eat coconut all day every day. And nothing is better than a fresh one, tossed out of a tree by the storm, and opened on the beach.

My daughter spotted this one when we were taking a walk, and she was intent on carrying it back and seeing if she could get it open. I have to admit, it was quite funny watching her pound it with sticks and rocks to no avail. And if I had a video of my son trying to open it by throwing it on the rock wall, and it bouncing up about crotch high and nearly nailing him, it would probably go viral on Youtube. But nothing made a dent in the coconut itself.

I remembered from travels in the South Pacific, seeing big sticks which had been driven into the ground and secured, pointy-end up for pounding coconuts against. So hubby and daughter went to work with a pointy stick and the sharp edge of the rock wall, with the net result that it split open to reveal a perfectly ripe interior, and delicious coconut water inside. We've been eating fresh coconut for days now, and perhaps it's about time to head out on the hunt for another one. Island eating, paleo-style.