Before coming to India, I did not realize the number of coconuts that are produced here versus the rest of the world. When I thought of India, I thought "Curry", not necessarily "Coconut". Well, according to what I have researched since then, (after seeing so many coconut palm trees!) there are 3 countries (Indonesia, Philipines and India) that produce around 75% of the world's coconuts, with India being around 15-20% of the world's total production. I remember when I first arrived in India and stepped out of the airport, I saw so many "palm trees", and felt like I was in Florida. These were actually coconut palm trees. Apparently, there are many palm trees in southern parts of the US, yet not all are coconut palms, and even if it is a coconut palm, it can be affected by periodic freezing temperatures and not produce a coconut. In India, the temperatures are always warm, so the factor here is a bit different...coconut production is due to how fertile the soil is, rather than potential freezing temps. A coconut palm in India can result in as few as 30 coconuts from one tree, or up to 75 per year, depending on soil factors. Pretty amazing.
While in Trivandrum with my friend and colleague Subhash, we stopped at 2 coconut stands, where someone with a machete cuts into a young coconut and places a straw in it, and there is up to 30 ounces of coconut water inside for you to drink. It is refreshing.
While there, I visited his parents' home, where they hosted me and cooked an amazing lunch, with such a variety of good food, and an amazing dessert. Their land around the home was beautiful, and had mature, very tall coconut trees on the property, along with so many other beautiful plants. I was trying to figure out the coconut yield from each tree, as I saw some growing on the tree we were standing directly below. I mentioned that I would "not want to be standing under this tree when a coconut fell". My friend said "Pam, we have them harvested. We do not let them fall on people's heads." Haha
Posted here are pictures of coconut trees along a lake in Trivandrum, as well as the coconut stands where vendors can cut open a young tender coconut on the spot, and provide a straw for fresh coconut juice. These coconut stands have been found in every city in India that I have visited so far. The next blog, on the view from the train to Mysore, will showcase pictures of many of these coconut palms.
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