The Versatile Coconut Tree

The five largest coconut producing countries are Indonesia, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka and Brazil. However, the natives of the San Blas Islands also rely on Coconut not only as a source of food, but also income, selling most of their harvest to Colombia.

It is not only the meat of the coconut they are after, although that is the most well known. The fruit, or nut is harvested for coconut water, oil, milk and shredded coconut as we know it. Coconut water which is naturally sterile until the coconut is opened, provides a nice, refreshing drink and is also quite good for you. The water contains sugar, fiber, proteins, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and is said to be an isotonic electrolyte becoming popular as a sports drink. The coconut meat which we enjoyed eating directly from the fresh coconuts we bought, is usually dried and shredded and used in sweets such as Bounty chocolate bars and my favorite, macaroons. Coconut milk is also used in cooking, often as a complement to a curry dish. And of course, coconut oil is popular for frying or as an ingredient in cosmetics and soaps. Although coconut oil is high in saturated fats, the Organic Facts website makes a lot of claims as to the health benefits including weight loss. I let you do your own research on this topic ... I wish losing a few pounds were really as simple as eating more coconut. (http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html).

The husk fiber of a coconut is used to make ropes, mats and brushes as well as caulking, stuffing and potting compost. We saw the fronds used for roof thatch for huts and shades here in the islands. They also burn the dried leaves and extract lime from the ashes. The timber or trunk of the tree is used for houses and boats.

And I discovered that the activated carbon in water filters is often from coconuts because although more expensive, it is more effective.

And now, a few more interesting but completely useless facts:

• Coconut is grown in more than 80 countries.
• The top ten coconut growing countries produce 56.4 million tonnes per year.
• India produces 15,729 million nuts per year using 1.8 million hectares of land.
• It takes about 90,000 nuts to make 1 tonne if activated carbon.