Day 010 of Our Winter: Today, two coconut pluckers came on bicycles. They'd called ahead and mentioned they'd be here this week although the exact timing of their arrival was a bit of a mystery until they showed up. This guy and a helper are always the ones that shimmy up the trees and cut only the ready coconuts. The house in on their schedule, so they know to come every two to three months for a harvest.
Since our last visit though, Jay's sister has had around five coconut trees cut. They were old and might have toppled down on the house during a storm. They were not the newer, shorter hybrids, but old trees from the 1970s. So, the house is more protected from damage from a sudden toppled tree. However, that has cut into the number of coconuts that can be harvested. Still, the Minuwangoda house is lucky to produce enough coconuts for both sisters. Now, new plots of land are tiny and people are seldom self sufficient. There were only enough this time to keep and none remaining for sale to a vendor. It is a small source of income but helpful.
The trees are all over the property and we had to run to collect the coconuts and put them into piles. While up at the top of the trees the pickets also cut off long, dead branches that come crashing to the ground and must be taken care of. It is a lot of work to clean up after the coconuts are harvested.
You will note two different types of coconuts in he pictures. The top ones, called king coconuts are used for their very healthy drinkable water. They were originally only found on this island and are prized and often exported. The ones below are the standard coconut found globally. They are smaller, rounder, and often the husks are greenish in tint. They are better for their 'meat' and used extensively in Sri Lankan cuisine. Around 2 billion, yes billion, of the island's 3 billion annual coconut harvest is used for domestic consumption. Of course, husks are an important source of natural fiber and used in manufacturing of rope and other products.
