#fruit tree
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.
Got out my tools (bread knife, steak knife, bowls, and gloves), and spread out on the kitchen floor. It felt like I was cutting a basketball in half. The outside gave when pushed on, but was not soft or mushy. The internal part of the stem ran the length of the fruit, and had the texture like a tough mushroom. 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. But by this time the rubber gloves had torn, so I just dug into the latex filled mess with my bare hands. Once I figured out the pattern in which the pods were arranged, it became a much quicker process. However, the fibers were dense, and seemed to be trying to protect the pods from my eager fingers. 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. 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. They can be cooked in many ways, of which we prefer boiling. Once done they have the consistency of a potato, with a nutty flavor.
The edible pods are actually petals, hundreds which form internally. You either love jackfruit or hate it. The texture is strange - crisp yet chewy. Said to smell and taste like Juicy Fruit gum.
Total time: 2 hours
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My blood peach started blooming this past weekend and we’re expecting below freezing temperatures most nights this week, so on Sunday I wrapped it up the best I could. It’s not the easiest job as it is, but I insisted on making it even worse for myself by doing it at night (after I watched the temperature slowly drop all evening and the hills being covered in snow). That’s a 25 m² furniture dust cover, honestly I was expecting it to cover the tree much better. Should still work. Somewhat. Now fingers crossed we’ll get through this week without too much damage.
