Coconut oil was the first thing we processed from our farm produce. It was a huge learning curve for us because we had never done anything like that before. And therefore avoided venturing into anything beyond growing food on our farm.
It took some researching to find a good oil mill and figuring out the logistics of labour, transport and packing. But once we pushed past the resistance and overcame whatever that was holding us back, it was liberating. It was a start to a lot more fun experiments that followed.
Let me tell you that this step towards processing coconut oil didn’t come easy. There is a little back-story that pushed me to take this step. So, in the initial years as we slowly got a hang of growing our vegetables and fruits on the farm, our everyday needs for produce were met but there was one thing that plagued me constantly. A lot of questions but no clear answers…
- What’s in our oil?
- What’s the truth behind refined oils and imported oils?
- Are they really as healthy as the media claims them to be?
- Are we using oil made from regionally grown oil seeds?
- What’s the truth about palm oil and their harmful effects on health and the environment.
The more I dug deeper, the more uglier the reality seemed to get. A lot is simply media hyping things up for the benefit of big corporations. The unnecessary boost of refined and imported oils like olive oil ends up in us not using our own indigenous, locally grown oils but also adds to the energy miles on it making it unsustainable and expensive for the planet. Not to mention our farmers losing business to the big corporations. About the use of palm oil, well, it’s not just harmful for our health but also endangers various species and leads to destruction of rain forests.
Becoming an aware consumer was the first step in understanding where our well-being lies and not out-source it to others who do not have our health as their priority.
Using oil made from regionally grown oil seeds like sesame, mustard, groundnut, coconut etc., whichever is native to our region is the best choice for our health and our environment.
They are 100x times better for us than olive oil or refined oils!
All this made us really take the step towards processing our own oil. We still stumble upon resistances in trying new things but I remind myself that all I need to do, is try.
I am happy that this little try had enabled me to supply around 20-30 litres of freshly ground coconut oil every few months to my small circle of friends in my vicinity who use it for cooking. Rest, I use for my own cooking and soap making.
Here’s the video where I take you along to see how we process coconut oil from our farm coconuts.
What’s the resistance that you have overcome in your journey?
