Living among Coconut Trees in Ivory Coast

In the last post, you read about Lisa’s experience of growing and harvesting cacao (cocoa) in her own backyard.

She and her family also planted coconut trees. Here’s her story:

The coconut trees produce in about six years. We just plop a coconut that has sprouted in the soil and off it goes. Our trees were over a story tall, maybe two, and the boys would shimmy up them with no problem. Then they would grab the fronds and pull themselves up in the crown to stand there. They were a part of the huge rattle top that swayed in the wind. We would harvest them when they were green because that is when you can get the sweet milk from them. There were coconut trees in the village but someone said they were hexed and the cause of the village’s problems (I don’t know why) so they cut them down. That was a pity.