Expert: Leo Salazar - 2/17/2002

Question
how do you open a coconut ?
my son needs to do this at school.

Answer
Hello !

I guess your coconut is already peeled (looks brown and is hard)...

If so, you can hit with a hammer on different places of  until it splits, or cut in half with a saw.

If you can feel water inside, you might want to use a saw only to cut a smal part of the top (where you find three scars) and end up with a round hole to pour the water out.

The water from coconuts like the one you have is usually not good to drink but the white pulp should be fine.

Locally, coconut vendors sell the fruit still with the green fiber covering and use a "machete" to peel off just enough to cut open like on my third recomendation and add some ice and a bit of sugar.

Good luck !

Good