Coconuts are all the rage. They are used in many raw foods, hot Thai dishes, and recently started appearing all over the vegan market in ice creams, yogurts, milk alternatives, and even as soy sauce substitute. And perhaps it's just an LA thing, but it seems like everyone is drinking out of a Young Thai coconut with a straw. But as much as I love the latter, they are a rare treat for several reasons:
- Young Thai coconuts are not organic
- they are wrapped in plastic
- they come from Thailand (really far from LA)
- and...supposedly many of them are dipped in formaldehyde!!!
Yeah, you read that last line right. Bummer huh? Read more about my research and feelings towards Thai coconuts in this past post.
But coconuts are way too good to pass up all the time, so I found a solution: organic Mexican coconuts! Here's why they're awesome:
- they're organic
- they're not wrapped in plastic
- they're from Mexico (not too far from LA)
- no indication that they're dipped in formaldehyde!!!
And they're just as tasty as Thai coconuts...well, they're not as sweet and soft as the young Thai variety, but it's barely noticeable. One more downside - they're harder to open because their husk is still on, so use something like a cleaver or hammer. Recently I've used the Mexican coconut water to make amazing almond milk, then cracked it open (on the pavement with a hammer) and enjoyed the "meat". There was a thin layer of super sweet "cream" inside - heaven!
I bought my organic Mexican coconut at Co-Opportunity in Santa Monica for 1.29/lb (one came out to $2.44). Look for them in your natural market and feel free to comment below if you find them too!