Eat a Sprouted Coconut

 by TimAnderson
Featured
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Eat a Sprouted Coconut.
In Marshallese it's called "Yu".
It's really delicious.

For more ways to eat a coconut, try
Coconut Juice and
Coconut Milk

First step: Sprout lots of coconuts. Take all the brown coconuts in your yard and half-bury them in damp places. Coconuts don't sprout until the fibers of the husk soak up fresh water. A coconut can float in salt water forever without sprouting.

You weren't going to eat those coconuts anyway, so might as well sprout them. It's emotionally hard to kill such a beautiful hopeful thing as a sprouting coconut. Until you find out how delicious it is. You'll want to get a lot of them sprouting so you won't feel like you're removing coconut trees from the world. Also you might want to plant some and let them grow to trees. An old Marshallese man told me the secret of growing good coconut trees was to bury the nuts deep so the roots get a good foundation. I think he said he buried his two feet down.
 
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Step 1: Husk It

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Use your usual method to husk a coconut.
I had a pickaxe handy so I used that.
I wanted to leave the sprout in one piece for photos, so I used the chisel end of the pickaxe.

The fibers run lengthwise. Jam the chisel between them.
Jam the nut onto the chisel as shown and pry. Rotate and repeat until it's easy to pull the husk off.
Sparrowhawk says: Oct 23, 2008. 3:40 PM
I'd love to try this but we don't have many coconut trees in England... I can buy brown nuts with no husk or green ones with a husk, are either of those likely to sprout?
raziz in reply to SparrowhawkMay 18, 2011. 9:38 AM
Only a healthy mature coconut with brown husk intact will sprout, once you remove the husk, it will never sprout (maybe because air or fungi gets inside the shell, or the juice dries up)
ERNesbitt in reply to SparrowhawkNov 1, 2008. 9:32 PM
Tie some string between two swallows...
mdkelsh in reply to ERNesbittNov 23, 2008. 8:04 PM
ahhhhaha I made an instructable on how to make those coconuts
hurtzmyhead in reply to ERNesbittNov 5, 2008. 9:25 AM
lol funniest movie ever!
raziz says: May 18, 2011. 9:19 AM
rarely, you may find a coconut with two sprouts, but elders say it's not good for planting, i think maybe because, when they grow up, they will compete for nutrition and sunshine, the the trunks will "lean" opposite ways.
raziz says: May 18, 2011. 9:14 AM
you can eat the core of the sprout raw. no need to cook it.

the meat becomes thinner and mushy and taste oily, the nubbin grows and fills the shell and replace the juice and meat.
raziz says: May 18, 2011. 9:08 AM
that little nubbin is more delicious than the older spongy one..
Yerboogieman says: Nov 6, 2009. 2:23 PM
What happened to your thumb in the last picture?
lil jon168 says: Mar 2, 2009. 9:28 AM
sounds good but thats kinda like deforestation because ur killing it
temp in reply to lil jon168Mar 26, 2009. 4:54 PM
that's why you plant one you don't eat. and let it grow into a tree.
sadunpererarules says: Mar 7, 2009. 12:50 AM
im telling you man. this is the best part of the coconut. but i like to do it halfway through. (when the sprout isnt that big), so i get a bit of milk to drink as well.
mattress says: Oct 23, 2008. 1:28 PM
interesting, so it's kinda like wheat or barley, after it sprouts it's more sugary. Time to make coconut beer...
toomuch in reply to mattressOct 25, 2008. 12:10 PM
If you are able to ferment with coconuts than you have some pretty good skill. I imagine the high fat content will make that difficult. If you can do it, please make an instructable. I'd like to try it myself if I know it's possible.
~Sasquatch~ in reply to toomuchFeb 1, 2009. 8:26 AM
toomuch, it CAN be done:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_milk#Alcohol

I'm going to have to try it meself!
mrdiablo9 says: Nov 13, 2008. 4:23 PM
I have tried this when camping in far north queensland a local showed me he had a pile 1mx3m left to sprout very nice reminisant texture of styrofoam cant remember what they tasted like except they were good.Watch out for ones that have spoiled they are @$%$&* disgusting enough to make me vomit. Bad enough to scare me from trying another one, but when good theyre exellent
Dark Solar says: Oct 31, 2008. 6:01 AM
It looks like there's a lot more stuff inside your coconut than there is inside the ones I usually get at the market. Ummm...?
Ulfer in reply to Dark SolarOct 31, 2008. 6:58 PM
Read the title. I doubt your market sells sprouted coconuts.
Dark Solar in reply to UlferNov 10, 2008. 6:07 AM
Well, therein lies part of the problem; I did get a coconut that, while not sprouted, was full of something visually like what your pictures show--but it turned out to be some kind of fungus. Anyway...all the more reasong to attempt a sprouting of my own. Thanks for the pointers.
mexikids says: Oct 28, 2008. 5:53 AM
can you or do YOU eat the actual sprout part? If so, does one just eat it raw or prepare it in some way?
sdtacoma says: Oct 25, 2008. 7:45 PM
My Home Depot sells sprouted coconut palm trees for about $20. Would that be the same thing? I have been dying to try this ever since I saw Les do it on Survivorman.
baslisks in reply to sdtacomaOct 25, 2008. 11:10 PM
Isn't that a little cost preventive to enjoy it?
lironess says: Oct 23, 2008. 7:52 PM
Does the edge meat change in flavor from before it was sprouted?
metaljoe0 says: Oct 21, 2008. 6:08 AM
i'm going to go to my backyard, and try this right now.
lancego30 says: Oct 19, 2008. 4:33 AM
coconut water by the way is very good when you are drinking wine, you wont get drunk if you'll drink its water
masterochicken in reply to lancego30Oct 19, 2008. 9:29 AM
Well there's one thing I'll never do.
Firebert010 in reply to masterochickenOct 19, 2008. 12:11 PM
You made me laugh. I commend you sir.
masterochicken in reply to Firebert010Oct 20, 2008. 6:26 PM
Why thank you
lesrebnav says: Oct 20, 2008. 5:21 PM
hello , the sprouted coconut is very good, it taste like marshmallow
Foxtrot70 says: Oct 20, 2008. 7:24 AM
If I purchased a coconut with husk can it be planted anywhere during local warm seasons?
T-K says: Oct 20, 2008. 3:12 AM
Man im 13 and so wanna try this. dunno if mum will let me though
narunijja says: Oct 18, 2008. 2:34 AM
in Micronesia it's called Fa Ha
CementTruck in reply to narunijjaOct 19, 2008. 7:26 PM
In a dialect of the Philippines called Bikol, this tasty treat is called Ampol. I have not had one of these since 1985. This 'ible brings back some good memories. ;)
lancego30 says: Oct 19, 2008. 4:32 AM
this practice of eating sprouted coconut is common to a place where the tree grows. not all countries have coconut but yes it taste really good i have tried it in the philippines it tastes sweet and two are not enough fro me.
Solderguy says: Oct 18, 2008. 7:47 PM
Awesome! If you get stuck on a deserted island you'll be better off planting the coconut, unless there's plenty to go around.
Plasmana says: Oct 18, 2008. 1:04 PM
This is a cool instructable!
Hoopajoo says: Oct 17, 2008. 6:46 PM
Very cool, Tim! I'm on the Florida coast near the Space Center at the moment (Virginia normally), So I'm DEFINITELY trying this! Thanks again!
ChrysN says: Oct 17, 2008. 4:55 PM
Cool instructable. "Take all the brown coconuts in your yard..." LOL, I'm going to have to move to a warmer climate.
shooby says: Oct 17, 2008. 1:46 PM
So as it's sprouting the milk turns into more a starchy substance, it appears. Looks really good. Are there any other ways that it's prepared, locally, or is it only really eaten as you showed?
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