Jackfruit (Nangka)

One of the fruit trees that I find grows well in this area is the Jackfruit (Nangka).  Its botanical name is Artocarpus heterophyllus.  There are several varieties of this fruit and some bear fruit that can weigh over 20kgs.
Personally I enjoy this fruit when it is firm, not soft and mushy.  By careful pruning and shaping, it can provide a great resting area as it has lots of leaves providing for a shady spot on hot sunny days.
The tree can start fruiting as early as 3 years after planting and can grow quite tall.  Selective pruning can assist in keeping the plant healthy and productive.  It does well in a soil mixed with organic matter and relatively low in clay.  It loves lots of water but the roots do not fare well in constantly soggy soil.  The leaves are mid-size and have a waxy texture to it.  The smaller branches also periodically dries out and should be removed to keep the tree nice and neat.

The jackfruit flower is green in color which will transform to a small gritty-skin "baby fruit".  It has an interesting shape and doesn't much resemble to what we normally see as a flower as it remains green and almost appears as if it is the beginnings of a new leaf.  When the fruit is mature and ripe, the fruit emits a distinctive sweet smell and turns into greenish-yellow before turning yellow. 

At the farm, sometimes the flowers appear in clusters resulting in a cluster of fruits.  To ensure good quality of fruits are produced, I tend to remove some of the fruits, leaving no more than 2 per cluster.  This is due to the fact that since the fruits tend to be big, the branch may not be able to support so many fruits and may break before the fruit reaches maturity.  When picking the fruit, watch out for the "latex" that is produced as it can stain your clothes.  To remove any of these goey stuff that is stuck to your hands, use a little bit of cooking oil to liquify it before washing with soap and water.  To remove any that is stuck on your clothes, rub some cooking oil followed by some regular flour before doing your laundry.
When ripe, the color of the flesh ranges form yellow to a golden yellow to an orange-yellow and is more often eaten raw.  I find that when the flesh is firm, it can be added as an element in a tropical fruit cocktail.  When is is soft and mushy, it can be turned into a milkshake - providing good dietary fibre deliciously, helping improve your digestion.  You can add this to your list of healthy, high fibre milkshakes.  The young jackfruit is also a favorite locally to be used in cooking curries or savoury dishes either on its own or with dried salted fish, beef or chicken, and eaten with rice.  It is not recommended to be eaten raw as it has lots of "latex" and should at least be blanched until tender.