Jackfruit 'Crunchy' (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

In the world of Jackfruits, this ‘Crunchy’ variety nicknamed the Juicy Fruit Jackfruit overachieves with flavor excellence. The ripe, low-latex fruit takes on a complex combination of sweet pineapple, melon, coconut and banana! Each tropical bite has a crunch similar to a water chestnut and quenches thirst like no other. The flesh varies from yellow to dark orange, and is eaten out of hand or cooked.

There’s no question whether there will be enough fruit to go around, because the tree is capable of producing fruits anywhere from 10 to 130+ lbs once mature! Jackfruit trees are known to produce the largest fruit in the world. 

A member of the fig family of plants and a relative to the Mulberry, the Jackfruit is native to the southwest portion of the Indian subcontinent and is the national fruit of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.  It is an evergreen tree that grows primarily in tropical lowland climates.

The outer part of the Jackfruit fruit is hard and textured. The fruit has an outer rind composed of composite pieces that attach to fleshy fruit pulp that have a pulled-pork like texture.  When ripe and unopened, Jackfruit can smell slightly unpleasant, but when opened it smells and tastes like pineapple bubble gum! 

On average, a Jackfruit weighs about 35 pounds but in it's native climate have reportedly been found to weigh over 100 pounds!  Not only does Jackfruit have an incredibly unique look and flavor, but it's also a rich source of vitamin, minerals, phytonutrients, carbohydrate, electrolytes, fiber, fat and protein. It contains calories but no cholesterol or saturated fats. Jackfruit is typically eaten fresh. Extra fruit can be frozen for healthy smoothies or made into a variety of products, sauces, or even chips!