Crazy for coconuts

One of my latest foodie initiatives is to ensure I buy a variety of new or different foods when go food shopping on a weekly basis.  I do not want to get into a rut whereby I purchase the same exact foods by rote week after week.  That's not very exciting and food should be exciting and contribute to variety in my diet.  So, this past week, true to my goals, I purchased a whole coconut.  It's been literally decades since I have enjoyed a whole coconut.  Furthermore, I am proud of myself for thinking of an inventive way to pierce the soft hole (one of the set of three holes) to get to the liquid: by inserting a corkscrew.   I then poured the coconut water (not called "milk", btw) into a bowl and then filtered it before drinking to remove the coconut bits and shreds that ended up in the bowl, too.   I ended up with around 2 cups of yummy (and filling) water to enjoy - a toast to health.   

Next week, I plan to buy quince fruit (which is in the apple and pear family, I just learned; not sure how I will prepare it yet) and dandelion greens, both completely new foods to me.    I will let you know how it goes.

A few days later (note to self, do not wait this long next time as the coconut dries out)...

I decided it was time to crack open the coconut, but how?  After a Google search, I came upon a  few YouTube videos, touting different methods.  The first involved whacking the middle of the coconut with the back of a large knife.  Not only was this a scary experience, but it did not yield the desired result.   As a cautionary move, I placed a towel under the coconut in case my knife went astray.  Anyway, I do not recommend this method.  

The second method was indeed the winner.  If you have any pent up anger or frustration, this will even be fun for you!  I wrapped the coconut in a dishtowel, headed for the garage and went at it with a hammer on the garage floor.   This was very effective!  Then, I used a grapefruit knife to pare off the meat and that was time-consuming.  Once I had some clean pieces, I grated the coconut meat to make homemade granola with almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and coconut shreds.