Tropical Traditions

First I have to let the people of Tropical Traditions talk about themselves...not all of it, you can go to their site yourself for that. I just want to share some points I found interesting.

When I first read about the wonderful benefits of coconut oil, I asked my wife Marianita, who grew up on a coconut plantation in the Philippines, if there was a more natural way to extract the oil from the coconut, so that we didn't have to buy the refined coconut oils found in all the stores in the Philippines. She said there was a method the older generation used to extract the oil by grating the fresh coconut, extracting the coconut milk, and then letting the coconut milk stand in a covered container for about 24 hours. After about 24 hours, the oil naturally separates from the water producing a crystal clear oil that retains the full scent and taste of coconuts. So we started making our coconut oil that way and using it for our cooking needs with our three children. ...

Today, more than 6 years later, there are other companies now selling coconut oil again in the US, most of them mass-produced by machines. But we are committed to time-honored traditional practices that have produced healthy coconut oil for hundreds, if not thousands of years. ...Today when you buy Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, you are buying the highest quality coconut oil we have to offer, and it is still made by hand and benefiting families in the rural areas of the Philippines where the coconuts grow.

Brian Shilhavy, Founder, Tropical Traditions, Inc

If you are a blog follower like I am, you will have seen this company discussed before but you might have missed the above.

Ok, "So what?", you ask. For several years now I have dabbled in food grade oils that you can add to other things food or other oils for all kinds of things. So the what is, this product is processed in a most "natural" way, "unrefined coconut oil"

The folks at Tropical Traditions have some lovely (yummy) recipes for you who need cooking ideas (so far, I have just been winging it).

I love grill cheese sandwiches...but how bad is it when I use butter on the outside for grilling. If I use the Weight Watcher cheese and bread amount, but use coconut oil instead of butter...ah, not so bad for me! Now this is what is amazing: the oil does not do much to change the flavor of my favorite sandwich! How cool is that!

I love oatmeal and have learned to like it without sugar but not without butter. Not good for my cholesterol which is one of the reasons I am eating it. You know what I tried don't you? Yes, I like the coconut oil in my oatmeal and works well when I add different fruits.

Think about adding it to sweet potatoes or regular potatoes...idea! I love making stir fry with turkey leftovers! Use coconut oil instead of whatever oil you currently use, with left over turkey, onion, thin slices of raw sweet potato, hold cranberries, and left over dressing instead of rice...you could even use some of Tropical Traditions' Coconut Flakes, too!

Hmmmm, instead of hot buttered rum, I wonder what hot coconut oiled rum would taste like???

Go visit Tropical Traditions for lots more uses and recipes....and let your imagination run or not if you are not an op-art cook.

(All underlined parts of the afore will whisk you over to the area of the site referred to.)

[Oh, Tropical Traditions sent me a jar to experiment with (test and review) but with the knowledge that I form my own opinion of products. (I like it! You might, too!)]