You can ripen unripe coconuts by placing them in a warm, dry place or in a rice bowl.

The softness or hardness of coconut meat depends on whether the coconut itself is ripe or not, the flesh of young coconuts (coconut green) is generally soft and tender texture, sweet taste, more delicious, the old coconut meat is hard, the taste is not as good as the taste of the coconut green flesh, it is recommended to chew on the coconut meat, don't have a taste, or the coconut meat will be softened by means of cooking, baking and other means, in addition, it can also be broken up into pieces to make food such as coconut paste to go with the cake.

Too hard coconut meat is not recommended for direct consumption, it can be used in stews, or broken up with a juicer, made into coconut milk, coconut cake, coconut and other coconut-flavored foods, not only to enhance the taste, but also to eat a coconut aroma, in the market is very popular.

Telling whether a coconut is ripe or not

Coconuts are divided into two types, green coconuts and yellow coconuts, based on the color of their surface. Green coconuts are better for drinking water, while yellow coconuts are better for eating coconut meat, squeezing coconut oil, simmering coconut flour or making into other seasonings. The water from green coconuts is sweeter and is incredibly cool and refreshing no matter what time of day you take a sip. If you want to eat coconut meat in addition to drinking coconut water, it is recommended to choose yellow coconut.

When choosing a coconut, make sure to choose one with a full outer skin. Because the outer skin of the coconut has a protective effect on the coconut, if there is no such skin, then the coconut will lose its protection and will not be fresh (but it will not go bad in a short period of time), so when choosing coconuts, end up choosing coconuts with a full outer skin.

Also, if you just want to drink fresh coconut water, then in addition to choosing a coconut with a full skin, you should also shake the coconut in your ear and listen to the sound of water. If there is a sound of water, it means that the coconut is not tender or stored for a long time, choose such a coconut to drink water, you can not taste the natural fragrance.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Coconut (Palm)