Staking It

I couldn't resist the temptation, climbed up a shaky ladder risking life and limb to get this jackfruit for a long overdue illustration. This fruit came from the tree I personally call my own although it grows on someone else's property. But that is another story. This fruit was logged between two large branches of the tree and I experienced a lot of grief to get it down from mid air. At 29 pounds, it was real heavy to lug around. The next step is to cut it open which looks like a formidable task. Knowing there is a lot of sticky sap lurking inside, I followed an ancestral tradition and trick to reduce the burden of dealing with the sap... staking the jackfruit and attempt to drain its yucky and sticky white latex. This was no easy task but I managed. It doesn't look pretty and if I were this jackfruit, I'd scream murder!

Before I close out this blog... let me wow you with these tidbits:

The sap of jackfruit contains:
water,
sugars ( total 7,7-23,6% )
fruit acids ( 0,1-0,33%; citric acid, when ripe, malic acid, when unripe ),
kalium,
calcium,
carotinoids,
23 different volatile compounds ( flavour )
and some more stuffs.

Its edible pulp (I'll get to them in a few days) when ripe contains an amazing assortment of stuffs as well:
Moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, ash, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, vit A, thiamine, niacin and ascorbic acid.

Is that all? I bet you there are many more substance in there that we don't know about.

The Chinese consider jackfruit pulp and seeds tonic, cooling and nutritious, and to be "useful in overcoming the influence of alcohol on the system." The seed starch is given to relieve biliousness and the roasted seeds are regarded as aphrodisiac. When I was kid, I ate tons of roasted jackfruit seeds. It never crossed my mind then to give the seeds to the many girls I was in love with. You are so dumb when you are young... This of course does not imply in any way, shape and form that I am smarter now that I am older... The ash of jackfruit leaves, burned with corn and coconut shells, is used alone or mixed with coconut oil to heal ulcers. The dried latex yields artostenone, convertible to artosterone, a compound with marked androgenic action. Mixed with vinegar, the latex promotes healing of abscesses, snakebite and glandular swellings. The root is a remedy for skin diseases and asthma. An extract of the root is taken in cases of fever and diarrhea. The bark is made into poultices. Heated leaves are placed on wounds. The wood has a sedative property; its pith is said to produce abortion. Really!