Fresh Jackfruit vs. Canned Jackfruit

I have been interested in Jackfruit for a couple of years but it is hard to find in my area.  I did order some of Upton's Bar-B-Que Jackfruit and ate it last week.  It was super yummy.  So when I went to our local Meijer the next day, I was pleasantly surprised to see fresh Jackfruit!!!  I bought a 12.5 lb one and gave it shot.  They remind of sugar apples (Soursop) which I ate when I lived in the US Virgin Islands.  Soursops are much smaller though.

I looked up online how to prepped and everything I read stated that the Jackfruits ooze a white latex-like substance that is very hard to remove.  So, I took the advice of a couple of other blogs and lined my counter with newspaper and oiled my hands and knifes.  My Jackfruit didn't ooze any of this substance.  It is very labor intensive to prep.  You have to cut it, peel, separate all of the stringy fibrous parts from the seed pods, and separate the seeds from the pods. 

Jackfruit seeds and pods with fibrous parst still on.

I bought this with the intention of using it as a meat replacement.  I tried to make mock Carita's out of it and found out after the fact that it is the young unripened Jackfruit that is used for this. (I am going to check the India Market on 28th St to see if they have canned young Jackfruit there.)  While the flavor was good the consistency was not.  It was way too mushy. I am using them as a sweet fruit instead.  They smell and taste, in my opinion, like Juicy Fruit Gum or a mix of mango, pineapple, and melon.  Yummy!  This morning I make a smoothie with the pods, banana, orange juice and some of the boiled seeds.  Delicious!

Speaking of seeds.  These are also delicious.  You just boil them for 20-25 minutes, rinse and dry, and then you have to peel, which is a pain in the arse.  I found cutting them in half made them easier to peel.  The have the taste and consistency of boiled red potatoes.  They are really good with just some salt. They are very nutritious.  Here is more information on the seeds at Livestrong.com

Here is some other good information on the whole fruit at Nutrition and You.com

I ended up freezing two bags of the seed pods, which you can do raw.  I heard you can make custard out of them, so I will be trying that in the future.  In the mean time,  I will just enjoy this crazy fruit in my smoothies or as a snack!