As my last day in Barbados continued, I headed out to experience something truly special: Coconut Day!
Sundays are considered Coconut Day on the island. It’s the day where harvesters pick, gather, and sell fresh coconut. We’d be experiencing this in southern Barbados with my guide Craig, my new friend Marcus, and an awesome supporter of mine named Rumel.
Rumel shared a bottle of his brand’s rum punch, which contains Barbados rum, liquid sugar, lime juice, and bitters. You can add it to fresh coconut water for a refreshing alcoholic drink! It was nice and sweet!
I loved the bitters in the straight rum punch. The only juice that should be in rum punch is lime juice.
I learned that there’s a whole coconut culture in Barbados. There are 40 different varieties of coconuts on the island! I hopped in the back of Marcus’ pickup truck, and we rode down the main highway to where we’d get to see them climb a tree.
He used rock climbing gear and rope to scale the tree. He brought down and cut several bunches of coconuts and tied them to the rope. Then, he lowered them down slowly. He does this every Coconut Day!
I helped them carry the coconuts back to the truck and climbed back into the bed of the truck. He cut some open for us. They contained some jelly!
Coconut Day continued as we drove to a second location to cut down more! The palm leaves and the fruit grow back quickly, and they also grow back better after they’re cut. From there, we drove to a local spot to get some Deputy Pilsner Lager beer. It was crisp and perfect for a hot day!
Next, we watched the guys climb more palm trees to harvest the fruit from them. These are called clarinet coconuts. They’re pink on the inside and have some jelly in them. They leave these for the owner of the tree.
Down the street, we reached another spot. They do as many trees per day as possible. It’s their livelihood and it’s tough labor!
We drove back to the stand on the highway, where they chopped open some coconuts. I drank the water from one. Then, we bought and ate some tender jelly! It was heaven!
These guys were the best! They were so nice, and watching them do what they do was so much fun, but also exhausting! What an awesome introduction to Coconut Day in Barbados!
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