Ladies and Gentlemen of Steemit, the moment you've all been waiting for! It is with my great pleasure that I introduce to you all one of my all-time favorite fruits: the JACKFRUIT! (totally needs that type of introduction)
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I first got interested in the jackfruit when I moved down to Florida. I went to a farmer's market in downtown Ft. Myers and a man by the name of Michael was selling fruits I had never seen or heard of. He runs an operation called "Pine Island Botanicals" along with his wife on Pine Island, FL.
I was interested in his mangos and he asked if I'd ever tried jackfruit. I said "No, what's that?" Then he gave me a sample. I instantly fell in love with it and bought $20 worth from him. He told me to plant the seeds in some potting soil, and so with the seeds in hand left over from that portion of jackfruit I bought from Michael that day in June 2015, I decided to plant them.
They took 2-3 weeks to germinate alone!
Over two years later I have 3 jackfruit trees in my front yard.
Jackfruit Tree #1
Jackfruit Tree #2 (was my largest up until recently, I think Jackie #1 is vying for that position lol)
Jackfruit Tree #3
The Jackfruit Tree Leaf
Here is some information I dug up from Wikipedia on Jackfruit:
Now, if you've never heard of or tried jackfruit, you might be in luck; Last year I visited family in Illinois and saw jackfruit for sale at Jewel-Osco! It was June I believe, so you don't have to live in the tropics to enjoy this fruit! Also, if you live near an Asian market, they probably sell canned jackfruit. (just make sure you buy the yellow canned jackfruit, not green (that's for cooking).
Jackfruit is very versatile, in that some people use the green fruit for making a "pulled-pork" sandwich and use it for barbecuing. Others just wait for the fruit to ripen and enjoy the sweet, sweet goodness that jackfruit has to offer.
Vegan Jackfruit "Pulled Pork" that won't clog your arteries!
Health benefits of Jackfruit consumption
Here is more information about the Jackfruit via Charles R. Boning and his book Florida's Best Fruiting Plants, a great book to have on hand if you live in Florida.
With jackfruit being the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, people have speculated and said that it has the potential to end world hunger, as it can grow in some of the most impoverished regions of the world, namely Africa.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post, I really am passionate about fruit! With jackfruit being one of my favorite fruits, I'm doubly passionate! and in 5 years time, I will be enjoying some home-grown jackfruit! The best kind hands down!
