This is a Good Thing!
Written by Gayle
You may have noticed young coconuts gaining a lot of attention lately. Coconut water, the flesh of the coconut, coconut oil–all are becoming staples in the diets of the health-conscious consumer. And for good reason! This is a topic for a post on another day, but for now, let’s just talk appearances.
Specifically, color.
Google “young coconuts” and you’ll see lots of images of beautiful white coconuts. They look so delicious and fresh! And that’s a good thing, right?
Wrong.
A fresh coconut is like an apple or a potato. Take the skin or rind off, and immediately it begins to turn brown. Oxygen does that. It isn’t very appealing to most of us–we won’t touch a brown apple! And producers know that we Americans like our food to look beautiful! So they make sure we get what we want.
But in getting what we want, we unknowingly get what we really don’t want–lots and lots of chemicals. This article explains the details about how most producers keep the coconuts white after cutting, but basically they dip the coconuts in chemicals. Repeatedly. Not exactly organic.
The workers who process the white young coconuts wear thick protective clothing as they dip the coconuts in the chemicals to keep the skin white. The coconuts are dipped in these chemicals at each step of the process before wrapping and shipping. The workers avoid touching the chemicals.
Of course those chemicals seep into the flesh of the coconuts, especially through the tender “eye.”
It has been tough to find organic coconuts for our 100%-always organic produce department at Lassen’s. Producers have been hesitant to send out something with a brown skin. But we finally found a company that produces certified organic coconuts! Patagonia Orchards in Arizona is as committed to organic as Lassen’s! We pack them in ice to make sure they are fresh and delicious.
So don’t be afraid of the “brown.” In young coconuts, it’s a sign of quality, care, and commitment!
Try a fresh, organic, coconut from Lassen’s! They are good for you, good for the workers, and good for the planet.
Love,
Lassen’s
Thank you so much for the article. I saw those coconuts in the store and the brown color does give them the appearance of being old. I appreciate the education and will be sure to buy some next time I'm in Lassen's.
Thank you for your comment! It is a little different to look at brown as a sign of purity, but in this case, it is!