Jackfruit  (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Harvested our first jackfruit of the season!  I was always worried that I wouldn’t know when it was ready, but the smell of the fruit was the giveaway - a sweet, fruity aroma filled the back yard.  They are not small fruits, ours weighed in at a whopping 28.6 pounds. Â
Got out my tools (bread knife, steak knife, bowls, and gloves), and spread out on the kitchen floor. Â It felt like I was cutting a basketball in half. Â The outside gave when pushed on, but was not soft or mushy. Â The internal part of the stem ran the length of the fruit, and had the texture like a tough mushroom. Â The remaining parts of the fruit are a series of rubber band like fibers, the edible pods, and the seeds.
After making a series of cuts, I was able to pry the halves apart. Â But by this time the rubber gloves had torn, so I just dug into the latex filled mess with my bare hands. Â Once I figured out the pattern in which the pods were arranged, it became a much quicker process. Â However, the fibers were dense, and seemed to be trying to protect the pods from my eager fingers. Â In all, I filled 2 big freezer bags with fruit: 1 for eating fresh, the other to freeze for use later.
What was left, was a shell of what I had started with; shredded and only a fraction of the weight. Â A prime example of why jackfruit is being used as a pulled pork substitute.
Last year, after we ended up with so many seeds, we searched online for a use for them. Â They can be cooked in many ways, of which we prefer boiling. Â Once done they have the consistency of a potato, with a nutty flavor.
The edible pods are actually petals, hundreds which form internally. Â You either love jackfruit or hate it. Â The texture is strange - crisp yet chewy. Â Said to smell and taste like Juicy Fruit gum.
