Also called the tree of life, the coconut, can be classified as a nut, a fruit and a seed. Here you see coconuts harvested by student monkeys enrolled in the First Monkey School in Surat Thani, Thailand. The tops were hacked off and then offered to us with a straw to sip the coconut water from within (I think the taste must be acquired as it was just weird).
Every part of the coconut tree is used so there is no waste, hence the name tree of life. Over one third of the world’s population rely on coconuts for food, shelter, oil, palm sugar, and amazing health benefits (more on these in a later post).
A coconut was even integral in the much told rescue of PT 109. In 1943, John F. Kennedy, a Navy Lieutenant, sent a message on a coconut shell to his base. 11 of his men were alive on a deserted island after being sunk by the Japanese. They were rescued the next day and the shell was used by JFK as a paperweight while he was in The Oval Office. Pretty cool.
And in World War II and Vietnam, coconut water was used as a substitute for blood plasma and IV fluids on the battlefield. I always thought coconut products were bad for you. Turns out they are almost magical in their healing properties so I am going to have to figure out how to use the pound of coconut oil (in solid form) I bought this morning. Always a new adventure.