What’s better guarded than the Queen Mother’s jewels and was a ‘passed over’ question on Singapore’s Brainiest Kids?
‘How do you tell a ripe Jackfruit without opening it?’
It is a secret that’s descended with Jackfruit Growers (JFG) worldwide. If you are a JFG descendent, you would know the secret. Alas, the Dierdens in England and Australia never gazed on a JF before they lived in Singapore, let alone grow one. Seth, however, has become a descendent of a JFG. My elevated status comes with our new home. I’m the proud ‘renter’ of two Jackfruit trees and two mango trees. Even though we rent, that still makes me a grower!
When the JF ripens they smell ‘strong’. They also grow large. Sometimes they grow up to 5-10 kg. But smell and size are not the secret factors to understand when JF ripens.
The telling factor of a ripe Jackfruit is this: it falls from the tree and onto the ground! It must be a God thing. The sound is quite loud when JF falls. It goes something like this, ‘boof’ (perhaps much like a small child falling to the ground).
We have a fence round our house so we don’t have to compete with others to pick up ripe JF. Last week our first JF fell to the ground. I heard the ‘boof’ and I ran to the tree. I yelled to Cc and the kids, ‘Jack has dropped his fruit…I’m going to get the uncle’. I was quite excited.
I went next door and got uncle Lian. We played charades (he speaks no English and I speak no Lao) but couldn’t do the Jackfruit falling out of the tree thing…(not very easy lah). He looked totally confused so I motioned to him to come over to my place!!! He came over and his eyes opened wide when he saw Jack’s fruit on the ground.
I gave him the chopper. He cut through the skin and there they were- big, orange pieces of fruit!! We realised later that your hands get real sticky and gooey when you rip out the fruit. All hail to the fruit sellers and uncles down stairs in the koppi shops who do the cutting for us…JF was sweat and had a steady texture. Like we say in Sing land, ‘shiok’.
So there ya have it…How do you know when Jack’s fruit is ripe? It falls to the ground. The secret is out. Tell the world.
‘How do you tell a ripe Jackfruit without opening it?’
It is a secret that’s descended with Jackfruit Growers (JFG) worldwide. If you are a JFG descendent, you would know the secret. Alas, the Dierdens in England and Australia never gazed on a JF before they lived in Singapore, let alone grow one. Seth, however, has become a descendent of a JFG. My elevated status comes with our new home. I’m the proud ‘renter’ of two Jackfruit trees and two mango trees. Even though we rent, that still makes me a grower!
When the JF ripens they smell ‘strong’. They also grow large. Sometimes they grow up to 5-10 kg. But smell and size are not the secret factors to understand when JF ripens.
The telling factor of a ripe Jackfruit is this: it falls from the tree and onto the ground! It must be a God thing. The sound is quite loud when JF falls. It goes something like this, ‘boof’ (perhaps much like a small child falling to the ground).
We have a fence round our house so we don’t have to compete with others to pick up ripe JF. Last week our first JF fell to the ground. I heard the ‘boof’ and I ran to the tree. I yelled to Cc and the kids, ‘Jack has dropped his fruit…I’m going to get the uncle’. I was quite excited.
I went next door and got uncle Lian. We played charades (he speaks no English and I speak no Lao) but couldn’t do the Jackfruit falling out of the tree thing…(not very easy lah). He looked totally confused so I motioned to him to come over to my place!!! He came over and his eyes opened wide when he saw Jack’s fruit on the ground.
I gave him the chopper. He cut through the skin and there they were- big, orange pieces of fruit!! We realised later that your hands get real sticky and gooey when you rip out the fruit. All hail to the fruit sellers and uncles down stairs in the koppi shops who do the cutting for us…JF was sweat and had a steady texture. Like we say in Sing land, ‘shiok’.
So there ya have it…How do you know when Jack’s fruit is ripe? It falls to the ground. The secret is out. Tell the world.
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