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Jackfruit

04/27/06

Permalink 11:22:50 pm, by Melba
Categories: Commentary

Jackfruit

Driving to the North Coast my husband always stops at Kent Village along the Bog Walk Gorge just as you pass Flat Bridge to buy jackfruit. It has become a kind of a family tradition over the years and now we look forward to it. It’s amazing but its seems that no matter what time of the year you go you can always get the fruit to buy. You must stop and eat it right away as the jackfruit carries a very high odor. Nobody wants to pluck the fruit as its extremely sticky and the only way to get the stains from your hands is to use cooking oil. Usually my husband gets that job and we all avoid him after as the smell tends to linger once you have touched it.

Follow up:

The jackfruit is not your everyday fruit. In fact I have only seen it growing in Jamaica. I did some research however and found out that it is believed to be indigenous to the rain forests of the Western Ghats of India. It came to Jamaica in 1782, when plants from a captured French ship destined for Martinique were taken to Jamaica.
The jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus) bears the largest fruits in the world. Massive fruits develop directly from the trunk and lower branches. Because the flowers and fruits develop directly from the trunk they are termed cauliflorous. The fruits are oval to oblong and vary in weight, according to the variety, from 10 to 60 pounds. Although there are reports that they may occasionally exceed 110 pounds in weight. Since individual jackfruits are composed of many ripened ovaries from many densely packed female flowers, they are technically referred to as multiple fruits.
The Jackfruit tree bears fruit three years after planting. Fruits mature 3 to 8 months from flowering. In Jamaica, an "X" is sometimes cut in the apex of the fruit to speed ripening and improve flavor. The large, cylindrical shaped jackfruit has a rough skin, which is green in colour and is made up of hexagonal fleshy spines. The fruit becomes aromatic and softens when ripe. The inside fruit is yellowish with a sweet taste and aroma. Within the fruit is a fibrous material called the rags. Embedded among the rags are numerous arils, the golden and richly flavoured flesh of the jackfruit. Within each aril is a seed, almost the size and shape of a shelled Brazil nut. A single fruit can contain anywhere from 100 - 500 oval seeds.
In Jamaica, the flesh of the jackfruit is eaten raw when ripe. The flesh can also be blended into a shake or made into jam. The seeds can be boiled or roasted like chestnuts. Mature but unripe fruit can be sliced and cooked. The fruit contains latex so it is a good idea before cutting the fruit to coat the knife and your hands with cooking oil.
In other parts of the world the jackfruit is more widely used. In the U.S. and Europe the jackfruit is canned with sugar syrup and sold in shops that sell exotic products. The seeds, which appeal to all tastes, are boiled and preserved in syrup like chestnuts. They have also been successfully canned in brine, in curry, and, like baked beans, in tomato sauce. They are often included in curried dishes. Roasted, dried seeds are ground to make flour, which is blended with wheat flour for baking. Tender jackfruit leaves and young male flower clusters may be cooked and served as vegetables.
The love of jackfruit tents to grow with familiarity. The smell of a fully ripe fruit in an enclosed space may be quite unpleasant to some. It took a long time for my children to get use to it and now they love it. Just remember to keep it outdoors and have your cooking oil ready.

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Reasons why I love my Jamaican Mom

1. My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait till we get home."

2. My Mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You going get a ass'n when we get home!"

3. My Mother taught me to MEET A CHALLENGE.
"What di backside yu thinkin'? Answer me when me talk to you...Don't talk back to me!"

4. My Mother taught me CONSEQUENCES.
"If yu run cross de road an' cyar lick yu dung, a goin' kill yu wid lick."

5. My Mother taught me THE VALUE OF EDUCATION.
"If yu no go a school, yu a go tun tief or walk an' pick up bottle."

6. My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If yu tun over yu eye lid an fly pitch pan it, it a go stay so fi evva."

7. My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD.
"Is not one time monkey goin' wan' wife"

8. My Mother taught me ESP.
"Yu tink a don't know what yu up to nuh?"

9. My Mother taught me HUMOR.
"If yu don' eat food, breeze goin' blow yu 'way."

10. My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT.
"Come an' tek yu beatin' like man."

11. My Mother taught me about SEX.
"Yu tink say yu drop from sky?"

12. My Mother taught me about GENETICS.
"Yu jus' like yu faada."

13. My Mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Yu tink mi come from "Back A Wall?"

14. My Mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE.
"When yu get to be as ol' as me, yu wi understan'."

15. And my all time favorite... JUSTICE.
"One day wen yu have pickney, a hope dem treat yu same way."

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