Pruning the Coco Palm

The resort where I stayed with my son Peter and his family in Mombasa had at least 60 coco palms on the lawn, near the suites and apartments and spa area. They have to be pruned for the safety of the guests. MY OH MY how interesting is the style of pruning! One night at the resort, there was an event scheduled for the guests. It was an acrobatic show, a circus event. In the sizable piazza of the resort, a pole about 25 inches in diameter and about 50 ft. tall was secured by 4 wires. It was as sturdy as a tree and the Black Panther Brothers of Mombasa put on a great show. These guys, clapping and swaying to a rhythmic beat, performed for an hour. They showed infinite styles for climbing to the top of the pole. Then, also, they did formations of the six of them, hanging from each other in amazing positions. I was so extremely impressed by their agility!

Well, two days later I saw the real thing that probably inspired the act: the gardeners at the resort were pruning the tall coco palms of their flower pods, dead fronds and coconuts. If any one of these heavy objects fell on the guests, there would be injuries (to a child, severe ones) and consequent law suits. These coco palms are from 70-100 feet tall. The flower pods are 3-6 feet long (containing many coconuts that should be removed before maturity; a coco palm can produce 200 coconuts per year but, if pruned well, they deliver 40 ripe fruits that are superior) and the fronds are 13-20 feet long and used for thatching roofs. In fact, everything of the coco palm is able to be used. I would say that the Africans are not only close to nature but understand its greatness. Palm oil is used for cooking, for cosmetics, soaps, fuel and candles. The fibrous husk of the palm is used for clothing, ropes, household items and for cooking. The coconut is good to eat in many ways and coconut milk is really very healthy for purifying the kidneys. Coconut milk is more like water — light and not sweet, unusual but tasty just the same. (In America, we get harvested coconuts; the fruit is fine but the milk is not as fresh from as it is right from the tree).

So…getting back to my gardener story: with my daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, we had the privilege of watching one of the gardeners at close range. With the machete in his belt and bare feet, he shinnied to the top of an 80 feet coco palm in less than a minute. Here was the real acrobat. He and his crew were anxious to protect us from what was being pruned but also wanted to teach us about the coco palm. One of the gardeners, when he descended from the heights without a crane, without a harness or a saddle or cables, hacked away at the outer shell of the coconut, which is like wood. (When we get the fruit in the market, we get it with the bearded inner layer). He whacked off the top so that a small hole appeared and I could drink the milk that was inside. I loved the hype of the Black Panther Brothers act but for me the gardeners reign supreme.

Ciao, Sally Fougerousse