Coconut Oil

You do get some good things out of bad situations.   I met good people and I have been blessed with no major illnesses.  I also found coconut oil.  I am in love with coconut oil!  When I was growing up I would hear of food cooked with the oil of the coconut and I would smell its rancidity in the hair of some people.  Then as I grew older, there came this mass of marketing that stated that coconut oil was bad.  Lots of cholesterol it would say.  I never believed it because I truly believe that God has put good things in every corner of the world for we human beings to use.  I would sit in child-like wonder and ask myself "why would God put only good things in the northern clime?"  I would conclude that we just did not know about the good things that were indeed right here in my little land of Trinidad and Tobago.  Plus, I could look around Trinidad and see old Indian ladies,in their odanis or as we call it ohrini (my spelling may be incorrect) looking like a 102 and still strong! I would look around and see old Negro men, short and gnarled, like cassava roots who were still going strong, farming provision; digging the earth as if they were still in their youth, while in fact they were way past three score and ten! 

My father did not use coconut oil so I did not grow up on it but I would cover myself in the stuff to keep away the mosquitoes and it worked!    Many years ago while on a secluded beach on the north coast of Trinidad my friend's husband did the Robinson Crusoe thing, cracking open a coconut with a rock.  She and I rubbed the raw nut over ourselves to protect our skin from burning in the bright and hot sun.  I feel in love with the fruit then.  Then when working in a traditional East Indian village, I learnt of the many ways this product is used in the community including the husk!  One person swore that a little in the hair before a shower would cool the head.  Massage your babies, your big baby too with the oil.

Having a coconut tree in my yard and little money in my pocket I used the resource.  I learnt how to make the oil and cook with it.  I've found that a little goes a long way so I save money.  Plus rice cooked in the residue from the oil has a wonderful  creamy "coconutty" flavour.  The husk which remains after squeezing the milk makes a great addition to my bread, not only giving flavour but it is a good source of roughage.   Placing the husk in a slow oven (200F) until the residual  moisture is removed, then grinding finely gives you coconut flour.  Coconut flour is gluten-free!  I use it on my skin, my hair, cuts and bruises on myself and the dog.  Man, if you keep still around me, I'll dab some on yuh!  :)).  I've found that my teeth are stronger since my last check-up showed stronger gums and the little cavity in the wisdom tooth is gone!  Coconut oil is a great deodorant too.   Some folks say it helps to slow down the process of Alzheimer disease.  I hope so, yes!  Now that I've espoused my love of coconut oil, I'd better give you the recipe for making it, eh.

Coconut Oil

6  mature dried coconuts removed from coconut shell.  Grate using a box grater or the food processor .   Pour a little bit of water over the grated coconut and using your fingers knead the milk out of the coconut.   Place the husk into a clean piece of cheesecloth or a clean cotton T-shirt.  Squeeze as much as the liquid out as you can.  The coconut fat will rise to the top and form a solid.  Strain the liquid into a jug and refrigerate. Remove the solid coconut fat and place into a pot.  Cook at medium heat until a clear oil is produced with the coconut residue settling to the bottom of the pot.  Strain off the completed oil, let cool and use!  

Alternate Preparation 1

Use the blender and a bit of water and in small batches finely chop the coconut. Strain off the liquid into a bowl and squeeze as much moisture (milk) as possible out of the grated coconut.   At this stage you may refrigerate or leave in a cool place for the fat to rise to the top and over a few days turn into oil.  

Alternate Preparation 2

 Buy six cans of coconut milk (the ones with no added sugar, casein, starch, with as little chemicals as possible).  Open, place the liquid in the pot and boil until the oil is formed and there is a little coconut residue. Voila!

Here is a great recipe that works in all types of cooking and it also heals my cuts, burns, bruises and even eases my shingles pain.  I gave a bit to a friend to ease her dandruff problems and  in a short time it helped to ease the flakiness.

Coconut Oil Infused with Mint and Rosemary

To a bottle of coconut oil, add as much fresh mint as you can get your hands on and a goodly bunch of fresh rosemary.  Warm gently for at least 4 days, (I use my slow cooker) adding fresh mint and rosemary, if you can find more.  The result should be a pretty green liquid that you can use for and on everything!

Do I love coconut oil or what?