Thyme After Time: Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut....Chocolate Covered Coconut Lumps

"Alright, Alright! Quiet down!
Luka, thank you for your report on Eli Whitney and The Cotton Gin and his contributions to our society today. It was very informative. We all learned so much. Who was the adult that helped you with the report, Luka?"

"My Uncle Jimmy."

"Make sure you thank him for us."

"Yes, Miss Apple."

"Loki, it's your turn. What was your report on?"

"Miss Apple, my report is on the coconut. My Grandpa is the one who helped me with it. My Grandma made chocolate covered coconut mounds for everyone in the class, but told me not to call them mounds because the name was already taken. Grandma named them coconut lumps after Grandpa. "

"Okay class, quiet down. Loki, go ahead with your report."

"My Report is The Coconut and It's Uses Throughout History.
The coconut has been around for a very long time, millions of years. It's actually a drupe and not a nut. A drupe is a fruit in which the outer layer is a thin skin, the middle layer is thick and usually fleshy (though sometimes tough, as in the almond, or fibrous, as in the coconut), and the inner layer (the pit) is hard and stony. Within the pit is usually one seed. Coconut was thought to be a gift from the gods because practically every part of it is useful. You can make brooms, ropes, roofs, boats, bowls, fuel, sponges, and even musical instruments from a coconut tree. It also continuously grows fruit so it can be harvested all year long.
Years ago my grandpa met a sailor who was on his fifth sea voyage. He joined him for a while and they came across a land of apes. Food was scarce and the only thing around was coconuts but they had no way to get to them. They saw the apes climbing the coconut trees so they all began to throw stones at them and the apes in turn threw coconuts back. They then used it as currency and food the rest of the trip"

"Loki, that is quite a story. Your grandfather told you this?"

"Yes, the sailors name was Sinbad. It was back before cameras though so he doesn't have any pictures.
So after grandpa got home, he was called to fight in a war. It was World War II and he was wounded. He had to have an emergency blood transfusion. A young coconut was used because its liquid inside was sterile and mixes well with human blood. To this day my grandpa has coconut running through his veins. He also used a few of them as floatation devices and escaped across a huge lake when he was being held captive. He then turned the husk into rope and scaled some cliffs and the shell into fuel for a fire during his escape. It was quite exciting. Coconuts saved his life."

"Really? You don't say."

"Yes, Miss Apple. But the coconut has a darker side too. It has killed many more people each year than sharks do. When they fall and land on your head, they kill you or at the very least give you amnesia."

"Loki, killer coconuts are an urban legend and amnesia?!? Who can you name that has been hit by a coconut and gotten amnesia!?!?"

"Why, Kenneth Lay from Enron, Miss Apple."

"Ok Loki, So a coconut is useful in many ways, including being used as a scapegoat. Was there anything else?"

"My grandma said to add that it's very healthy for you. It's very good for your skin. The water keeps you hydrated and she's going to start feeding more to grandpa because it's said to help with dementia."

Lumps

Chocolate Covered Coconut with Almonds

makes about 15

1 Cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
2 Tbsp Agave Syrup
2 Tbs The Thick Creamy Layer in a can of Coconut Milk
(save the rest for another use)
1 Tbs Coconut Oil, softened
3 Oz Semisweet Chocolate
3 Oz Milk Chocolate
Roasted Almonds (optional)

Mix together shredded coconut, agave, coconut milk and coconut oil until combined. The coconut should be a little moist and able to hold its shape when molded with your fingers.

Using a teaspoon, form coconut into little mounds. You should get about 15 teaspoons.

If you are using almonds, place one in the middle of each coconut mound.

Fill a saucepan with water and heat on a burner over low heat. Place a metal bowl over the simmering water. Slowly melt the chocolate in your 'double boiler', careful not to get any moisture in it.