Harvesting the heart (ubod) of a senile coconut tree

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

This coconut tree finally bid goodbye to old age and pest - the rhinocerus beetle (Oryctes rhinocerus or uwang) and scale insect (cocolisap). In its senile stage its nuts became smaller and fewer, so with its leaves. It outlived neighboring coconut trees, towering over houses and trees in the area.  Its silhoutte in the dark sky is chilling during stormy weather.  A nearby coconut tree was struck by lightning. Felling the old tree was nostalgic yet gave relief from danger in the place. It final gift is its "heart" - (ubod) which throbbed for nearly half a century - now a favorite recipe, lumpiang sariwa.              
 

 

Close up of coconut heart (core) and leaf bud (top left) 

Felled senile coconut tree yields ubod (heart) the main ingredient of a favorite recipe - fresh lumpia.  Right, young frond (palm) used as palaspas on Palm Sunday. Both mature and young nuts (buko) are harvested as as well.


Coconut tree stump and lumber. Put together, the tree stood 30 feet high, excluding its leaves.