Co-co-nut.

Coconuts come in two ways, just as boys do: young or mature. :)

Just kidding of course. But these are the two ways your local grocery store or health food store containing produce will give you to buy these amazing drupes.

In case you weren't sure, like I wasn't at first, a drupe is, by definition, a fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed.

Mature. I literally banged the top of that thing with a hammer. Much more challenging than opening a young guy.

A young coconut has a thick, all white outer skin with a hard shell underneath that will contain about a cup of fresh coconut water and a soft, white, meaty flesh that is smooth and delicious. A mature coconut is the traditional variety, with a thick outer shell that can be used as a luau top and will contain the harder meat that can be scraped out in pretty little pieces and used to top desserts, go in raw cookies, etc.

Young. I have since upgraded to a Vitamix! Wonderful money spent. We'll get to that another time. :)

I've learned that almost always you will be looking to purchase young coconuts - they contain the highest amount of nutrition - and you really should because they are incredible additions to your everyday diet.  Everyday, how exciting! I've also learned that with incredible amounts of electrolytes (more than, let's just say, a Gatorade), blood purifying potential as a result of it being identical to human blood plasma, and providing enough hydration to get one over a hangover, the coconut is something that will literally improve your body long term and short term.

For anywhere between $1-$2.50 or so, I've discovered that young coconuts can be bought at Whole Foods without a doubt, almost all Asian markets without a doubt, local grocery stores sometimes, local health food stores sometimes. I am always on a bargain, so I have shopped around and fortunately and unfortunately noticed there isn't much difference price-wise. I prefer Whole Foods because they always seem to look the best! They also can be bought online and shipped right to your doorstep by the carton.  This sounds ideal but I have found it is naturally more expensive.

And lastly, just for fun:

That song could get anyone moving their hips!