Some of your earlier posts, Wombat.
Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:31:33From: Ross Devitt
Subject: Coconuts
I don't know how many coconuts you opened on Niku expeditions trying
to see how difficult it is using no tools. Last week I just happened
to be sitting on an island that I had all to myself, with a coconut
tree, a flat rock and a watch.
I climbed the tree (ok, it was a smallish tree) and twisted off 4
greenish nuts. Sat down and wondered how I would approach this task
if I was on an island and had no idea how to get inside the thing.
First nut, I bashed all over to loosen the husk. Turned out that the
end where it attaches to the tree started splitting, so I started
stripping the husk from that end, giving the occasional bash as I
went. Once the nut was divested of the outer skin, I had the coir to
contend with. A bit of messing around and I found I could strip that
most easily from the stalk end too, after some more gentle bashing.
It took about 20 minutes to get to the nut and open it by poking a
stick through the biggest 'eye'.
The next nut took a little over ten minutes and each nut after than
was about the same or less as I got more used to the technique.
These nuts have been in a drought for many years, so there was not a
lot of water in the nut, but it was there and because the Niku nuts
had been cultivated (mine were wild and immature) there would have
been more water in the nuts there, even after a drought.
As you are aware, I suffer serious fatigue problems as well as
having had both wrists, ankles, a hand and a foot broken and the
list goes on. I mention that because, as out flighty friends may not
have been in the best of health after a few days, I am not in peak
condition either. My 'bashing' of the nuts was rather gentle, and I
did not try to hurry the peeling of the husk. I just quietly
stripped it away a little at a time as I enjoyed the scenery and
solitude.
Something else comes to mind. Should someone be husking cocos, there
is a huge amount of husk left over from each nut. Dried, it could be
used for all sorts of thing.
Anyway, I assume with all the visits to Niku, someone sat for an
hour and husked nuts - but just in case they didn't, this proves it
was feasible to get water, even if it took a couple of hours a day
to get a quart. Makes one wonder if the Benedictine bottle held
water for drinking, or coconut water for drinking.
I had done some experiments on cocos on my old trees at my previous
house, but they were nuts lying on the ground. These were, as I say,
wild, stunted cocos on an island that has had several (about 7)
years of straight drought. Also, on that test I used whatever came
to hand. This time it was just a flat rock. the reason for the flat
rock, when a pointed one may have streamlined the procedure, was
that I didn;t want to take off my skin rather than the husk.
Cheers,
Th' WOMBAT
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:45:50From: Ross Devitt
Subject: Re: Water on Niku
>So it would appear that if the castaway's Benedictine bottle had been
>used for drinking water, it would possibly have been coconut water, at
>least after a time.
How much water do you get from individual nuts picked up off the
ground on Niku? I am assuming:
A - TIGHAR has opened nuts on the ground during expeditions.
B - The castaway would have had problems accessing nuts on the trees.
C - The castaway would have discovered rats and crabs like nuts and
taken appropriate action.
My experiments on tropical Islands with very little rainfall show a
considerable variation in the amount of water available, but little
difference between amounts in green (on the tree) or brown (on the
ground) nuts.
I think I worked out last time I did this experiment on an island
(August 2008) that one could need up to two hours and 10 nuts to get
a litre (quart) of water in some cases, based on a tested time of 10
minutes to remove enough husk form a green nut that it could be
opened.
Still trying to keep those castaways breathing...
Th' WOMBAT