Drinking Coconuts – nature’s natural isotonic beverage

Jungle Produce drinking coconuts come from Thailand where many tourists would be familiar with the sight of street vendors selling delicious coconuts at the side of the road.

Prized for their pure, sweet coconut water, drinking coconuts also have amazing health benefits, containing the five electrolytes we already have in our body – potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, sodium and calcium. They are fat and cholesterol free.

Also known as young coconut, the drinking coconut is harvested when the coconut is still green, at about six to nine months old. Inside the husk the shell is much thinner than a mature brown coconut and is white in appearance.

At this early stage of development the coconut contains clear, sweet water and is often said to have a fizz similar to a carbonated drink. The average young coconut contains about 2 cups of water and is lined with a thin layer of soft, jelly like, meat (endosperm) on the inside of the shell which can easily be scooped out with a spoon.

In Australia drinking coconuts are usually presented with their green outer husk partially removed. The drinking coconuts you find in the supermarkets are white in appearance, cut to a cylindrical shape with a pointed top.

Recently coconut water has become big news with celebrities and the sporting fraternity and there are many packaged coconut waters available throughout the world. Due to its high level of electrolytes and low sugar and sodium, coconut water is rapidly replacing sports drinks as a more effective and healthy, natural alternative and is commonly referred to as nature’s isotonic beverage.

However convenient the packaged waters are there is no doubt that nothing beats the pure and unadulterated goodness of a fresh, pure, raw drinking coconut.

Serving suggestion

Drinking coconuts are usually presented with a hole in the top, a straw for easy sipping and sometimes a spoon. Once the water’s gone you scoop up the flesh.

The flesh of the coconut (endosperm) at this stage is translucent, jelly-like and quite delicious. It can be mixed with the juice, added to salads and desserts or eaten straight from the shell.

How to select a drinking coconut

Jungle Produce drinking coconuts are present in a cushioned foam net to protect the coconut from cracks and bruises which will contaminate the juice and flesh.

When selecting a drinking coconut it should feel heavy in the hand, be free of mould and bruising and have a firm white exterior. Reject any drinking coconuts with signs of mould, cracks or deterioration.

Storage

For freshness, drinking coconuts should be kept refrigerated. Each drinking coconut features a best before date as a guide to when it should be consumed by.

However, if stored correctly a drinking coconut can often last well beyond the best before date so it is worth opening an expired coconut to check rather than just discarding.