Outsource This!

I know, I have talked too many times about the jack fruits. This is the last such boring talks for this year, I promise. I do this to dispel some myths about this fruit, and at the same time, to give you a new myth of my own. I got a fourth jack fruit a few days ago, and was patiently waiting to cut it open myself. That was a bad idea, to try to do that! I was quite assured it is ripe. Not so! Myth #1: Jack fruits are ripe when the stem turns brown. This one's stem was brown. Myth #2: Jack fruits are ripe when they start smelling. This one did... quite strongly, I must add. But it is not quite ripe yet. This composite photo shows what I spent about 3 hours today, going through 4 pairs of rubber gloves with a sharp knife that is now dull and sticky. The 30 lbs compound fruit was cut into 8 pieces and the individual fruits were painstakingly yanked out of their sticky full of sap protective pouches. The half photo on the right shows you the aftermath of that protracted battle. Now my back, my hands and my butt all hurt!

At the end of the day, I am the proud keeper of two large bowls of jack fruits that are not ready for consumption! But I know better! My new jack fruit myth: Just leave the unripe fruits alone a few days and they will ripen just fine.

I should have outsourced this job!