Jackfruit on a tree

Some people think the best part of a jackfruit is its seeds. There are often 100- up to 500 seeds in one fruit. The seeds are oval and are about the size of a Brazil nut.

You can eat them boiled or roasted but not raw. Most people say they taste like a fruity potato.

A jackfruit can weight from 10 to 60 or even as much as 110 lbs. It is the world’s largest fruit that grows on a tree. The fruit inside has as many fruit pods or bulbs as it does seeds. Each ripe pod which is attached to a central core, has a seed inside.

Collect seeds while processing, eating the fruit or even after the fruit has gone bad or over ripe.

Seeds with exocarp removed

The seeds have a thin white membrane (exocarp) coating that must be removed before eating. The raw seeds are slippery when first taken from the jackfruit so set them in the sun until the exocarp is dry.  Next make a slice in the skin with a serrated knife and continue to dry for a day. The exocarp can be peeled off much easier when the seeds have lost a small amount of water weight. After the exocarp is removed, boil for 10 minutes until fork tender.

Because the exocarp is difficult to remove, some people prefer to cook them with it on and peel and eat them one at a time. It’s a fun snack somewhere along the line of eating edamame.

In general, fresh seeds are considered to be high in starch and a good sources of vitamins B1 and B2.

Another way we eat them is to make jackfruit seed humus.

Jackfruit Seed Hummus

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of peeled and cooked jackfruit seeds
• Juice of one large lemon
• 1/4 cup of organic tahini
• minced garlic –1 to 3 lg. cloves
• 2 tbsp of olive or macadamia nut oil
• 1 tsp. of sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Place all ingredients in a food processor except the jackfruit seeds and blend. Add in jackfruit seeds and blend in until smooth. If dry, add a tablespoon or two of water. Can top with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of paprika.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/jackfruit_ars.html