.Recently, I've been in the Dominican Repermies. My boss, Carolina, decided one day that we would make coconut oil. I had always been under the impression that making oil was a cumbersome and frankly too difficult task for the likes of me, despite never having actually researched the process. I found out, however, that pretty much every Dominican woman knows how to make coconut oil, as they use it for their hair. This is why I'm on this journey though, isn't it. To learn the cultural practices and hands-on skills that are utilised by varying peoples worldwide, to enhance their lives and remain self-sufficient to a certain extent. I'm like an art curator, collecting these skills in the basket of my brain, creating an encyclopedia of self-sustainability in my mind, and then sharing it with all of you. So, despite the self-imposed barrier imagining the difficulty of making coconut oil, it's quite a simple process. Here's how you can do it at home:
You will need:
Two coconuts
Water
A heating device
A sieve
If you want to get super rudimental like we did, you can do this in a self-made rocket stove, or as I watched local all-round handy-lady, Lucia, you can make it over an open fire.