A young or green coconut is an immature coconut, which is harvested before it is fully grown. It is also known as ivory coconut, tender coconut, and green coconut that totally depends on the region from where they are picked. The young coconuts mostly contain jelly-type sweet white flesh and delicious water. Although, you can eat young coconut meat simply with a spoon and on a salad. They are highly nutritious as a rich source of electrolytes, calcium, carbohydrates, and dietary fibers. Lastly, they lack brown hairy husk that is present on matured coconuts.
Are you wondering what is Matured Coconut? The coconut husk is the rough outer shell of the coconut. It is not used as food for humans like liquid and meat found inside the shell. However, it can be utilized in many ways for home gardens and agriculture areas. It is rich in essential nutrients like potassium, zinc, manganese, iron, and copper that are beneficial for plant health. Further, the coconut fiber known as coco coir is extracted from the coconut husk as a byproduct.
What is the Difference Between Young Coconut and Mature Coconut?
● The young coconut age is 6-8 months and the mature is about 11-12 months.
● The young coconut has a thinner husk and the mature has a hairy husk.
● The young coconut has a green or ivory color and the mature is brown in color.
● The young coconut is high in water content and has jelly-like meat. The mature coconut meat is hard, has less water, and is high in fat content.
● Lastly, the mature coconut is rich in flavor as compared to a young one that lacks flavor.
Let’s move on and talk about the useful benefits of using both young coconut and husk coconut.
What are the Benefits of Young Coconut?
Here we have enlisted some health advantages of young coconuts:
Saturated Fats
Coconuts are rich in saturated fats, but they contain both long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). Medium-chain fatty acids are digested more conveniently and converted into energy quickly.
High Fiber Content
Another advantage of young coconut meat is that it is high in fiber content. Dietary fiber is found in coconuts and it aids relieve constipation, adds bulk to stools, stabilizes blood sugar levels, and lowers levels of "bad" cholesterol.
High in Potassium
The young coconut water contains high potassium and other minerals. Plus the young coconut meat is also high in nutrition and easy to eat, making it a suitable source of nutrition.
Easy to Crack
Young coconuts can be easily crack/open as compared to mature coconuts because they have not developed a thick husk.
Keeps you Hydrated
By consuming young coconuts water you will acquire all the electrolytes you will ever need. You need electrolytes for body hydration and young coconut water will also keep your muscles and nerves functioning perfectly.
Boost Skin Health
To keep your skin young and fresh, you look no further than young coconuts, because young coconuts contain antioxidants that reduce the aging process and save your skin from dullness.
What are the Benefits of Coconut Husk?
The coconut husk is widely used in gardens, agriculture, and as a fertilizer - as they enrich the plant roots for optimal nutrition or growth. Following are some of the great benefits of coconut husk for you;
Sustainable
The coconut husk is eco-friendly and can be used as a growing medium as compared to other mediums. The coconut byproducts are renewable resources and don’t require chemicals or pesticides for maintaining health. So, they have less impact on the environment and are a great choice for your plants.
Retains Water
It has enhanced water-retention capacity as well as increased porosity of soil of potting mixture. So, no worries about plants to suffer from under and over watering as it can absorb water and re-wet it easily.
Nutrient Density
It is high in essential nutrients including potassium, manganese, copper, zinc, and iron, which encourage plants to flourish. Moreover, it effortlessly released and absorbed the essential nutrients to the roots of various plants for their optimal growth.
Balanced pH
The pH of coconut husk lies between neutral to slightly acidic, which is great to blend with alkaline nature soil-promoting growth of plants.
Aeration
The coconut husk contains the by-product coco coir, which is great for the aeration of plants. It allows oxygen/air to move around the roots that help in maintaining the health of plants.
How to Remove Husk from the Coconut?
The opening of a coconut husk can be daunting for you. When you bring a coconut home, it will consist of coconut shell, coconut meat, coconut, water, and three distinctive circles on the top, like a bowling ball. You just need to follow few steps and then you can enjoy the relishing water or coconut meat. To open it, you will need few tools like a glass, vegetable cleaver, knife, spoon, and oven. So, let’s start the steps;
Step 1
The first step is to remove coconut water. For that, you need to pierce in one circle of the coconut with a sharp knife. Then use a strong force to reach the hard shell of the husk and cut it carefully.
Step 2
Pour out the refreshing coconut water in the glass. You can drink it instantly or set it aside, it’s totally up to you.
Step 3
This step is optional if you want to eat the coconut cooked. Then simply preheat the coconut in the oven for 15 minutes at about 350-degree Fahrenheit. This step will easily remove the coconut meat from the husk.
Step 4
The next step is to crack the whole coconut in half. For this, you need to hit the coconut hard in the middle.
Step 5
When the coconut is cracked then, use a knife or a vegetable cleaver to cut the coconut meat on the stabilizing cutting board. If it is cooked, it is easy to cut the coconut meat. After cutting, enjoy the ravishing coconut meat.