Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is an amazing tree from Asia that produces huge fruits, sometimes the size of a bushel basket!  It’s a member of the Moraceae, or Fig
family, and if you know what a Mulberry looks like, imagine a Mulberry 12 inches long and almost as wide!

However, it isn’t purple, and doesn’t taste at all like a Mulberry.  It has its own distinct taste, which I think is like a Pineapple, Banana, and Coconut combined.  Jackfruit is as exotic as it gets.

The top left photo shows the fruit split open, with the core and seeds encapsulated by the arils (photo below), the edible fruit part, which has a crunchy texture, and is highly aromatic.

The arils have to be pulled from the “rag” that holds them, and then the nuts pushed out. The nuts (in the top right photo), can be boiled or roasted and eaten.  The photo below this, shows the “rag”, or portion that held the edible aril.  This is composted, along with the core and skin. 

When harvesting, it is important to oil your hands due to the latex.  However, once it’s all done up, you have an amazing amount of delicious and nutritious food, well worth the little mess.

Jackfruit is a fascinating tree that grows very well in South Florida, due to our distinct wet and dry or “monsoon” seasons, which duplicate those found in the hot coastal plains of Tropical Asia: places like India, Thailand and Malaysia.