Roundglass Living, Jackfruit

Roundglass Living, Jackfruit

Bongsong · 10 months ago

Latin name: Artocarpus heterophyllus
Other names: Jack tree
Uses: fruit, vegetable, pickled, fried, chips, flour, dessert

What is jackfruit?

The largest tree fruit in the world, jackfruit belongs to the Moraceae family, which includes fig, mulberry, and breadfruit. Weighing anywhere between 10 and a whopping 50 pounds or more, these enormous fruits have thick, bumpy greenish-brown skin that looks almost lizard-like. Inside you’ll find a mass of plump, stringy yellow pods. Relished both green and ripe, jackfruit is increasingly available in fresh, frozen and canned form.

Why is jackfruit healthy?

Who would have guessed that a low-carb fruit packed full of antioxidants, magnesium, fiber, and vitamin B6 could also be a superior meat replacement? In 2016, plant-based eaters made it a Google “rising star” based on search volume, praising jackfruit for its versatility and unique, meat-like texture. Studies show it also may reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis.

What does jackfruit taste like?

When ripe, jackfruit is sweet like a banana, with a slightly tangy acidity reminiscent of pineapple. The bulbs have a bouncy texture like gummy candy. Unripe jackfruit is not sweet and is consumed in cooked form only, almost always in savory dishes. When roasted, compounds found in jackfruit seeds can produce aromas similar to processed cocoa beans. As a result, efforts are underway to see if the seed powder could work as a cacao alternative.

How do I use jackfruit?

Ripe jackfruit is eaten raw out of hand as well as featured in tropical desserts and sweets around the world, including the crushed ice and condensed milk dessert halo-halo in Philippines, Vietnamese chè, and the South Indian mini pancakes chakka nei appam. Since ripe jackfruit is naturally sweet, it is also processed into candies, syrups, juice concentrates, and preserves. Toasted and salted, the seeds make a popular snack.

You can cook unripe jackfruit in a variety of ways. The bulbs can be boiled for salads, fried like cutlets, or simply grilled or sautéed like a vegetable. In many Asian countries, jackfruit is stewed with meat and often served with steamed rice. In the southern states of India, sliced jackfruit bulbs are deep fried and eaten as chips. Through tropical South and Southeast Asia, people consume it in curries or straight off the tree. Cooks in the West have more recently taken a fancy to jackfruit, using it to make taco fillings, salads, burgers, and a vegetarian version of pulled pork. The dried fruit and seeds can be ground into flour.

What does jackfruit pair well with?

Jackfruit likes other tropical flavors — think coconut, and South or Southeast Asian spices.

Where does jackfruit grow?

Jackfruit is native to South and Southeast Asian countries, and is believed to have originated in the region between the Western Ghats of India and the rainforests of Malaysia. Tropical lowlands are ideal for its cultivation; today it’s grown widely throughout the tropical regions of the world. The English name “jackfruit” is derived from the Portuguese “jaca” which comes from the Malayalam term “chakka.”

How to buy jackfruit:

Unripe, it should be firm and sturdy. When ripe, it will become softer and more aromatic. Avoid too-soft or browning specimens.

Fun jackfruit fact:

The wood of the jackfruit tree is resistant to fungus and termites, which makes it an ideal building material for houses and furniture.

Part of the genus Lilium, true lilies produce striking flowers in a huge range of colors. Their long vase life and dramatic blooms—think bright spots, ruffled petals, and elegant curves—have made them some of the most popular cut flowers in the world.

Plant this fragrant, winter-hardy annual en masse to cut a dramatic swath through your garden. It reseeds vigorously, so you can look forward to new blooms every spring. If you're in search of cool hues, check out the Lady Bird Johnson Royal Blue bluebonnet, a violet-blue overachiever named after the former first lady who advocated for the spread of wildflowers along Texas roadways.

Red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora), also known as hummingbird yucca, is actually a member of the century plant, or agave Americana, family. Its bright red tubular flowers keep on blooming even in summer's hottest months, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden.

A wildflower that thrives even in dry conditions, red feathers (Echium amoenum) have fringed 12- to 15-inch flower spikes in a beautiful raspberry-crimson color, Fradkin says. Pinch off spent blossoms to keep them blooming, but hold off late in the growing season to encourage reseeding.

Also known as woodland tobacco, Nicotiana sylvestris has a floral scent that is reminiscent of jasmine. Southern gardeners love its pendant clusters of trumpet-shaped white flowers, which resemble shooting stars and bloom from early through mid-fall.

This tropical perennial produces big, pink blooms with stunning red eyes from July to September. "The flowers are humongous," says Dawn Fradkin, a horticulturist with Colorado State University Extension in Arapahoe County, where intense sunlight and clay soils can be a challenge for gardeners. "They're just striking for our area and our environment," she says.

Globe thistle (Echinops) produces ball-shaped, bluish-purple blossoms that add a playful touch to your garden. Their height and whimsical nature make them look as though they're dancing above everything else, Whitinger says. These tough little blooms hold their own in arrangements, too.

Decades of dedicated breeding have produced nearly 100,000 different varieties of daylily (Hemerocallis). Newer selections with 44 chromosomes—twice the normal number—have bigger flowers and bigger, darker green leaves, so you get a much bolder statement in the garden, says Whitinger. Among his favorites are strawberry candy, which features yellow-and-pink blooms, and Webster's pink wonder, which has 13-inch flowers with spidery petals and a gorgeous chartreuse center.

This bulb perennial's massive flowers bloom from mid- to late summer. They're striking in cut arrangements, where they can hold their own for nearly a week. Bloom colors range from sumptuous tangerine and electric purple to the prettiest pale pinks. Want even more drama? Dinner plate dahlias have enormous blooms that can measure 10 inches across.

Buds on this perennial inflate like living balloons, opening into large bell-shaped flowers from early spring through late summer. In addition to the super-cool periwinkle hue, astra blue (Platycodon grandifloras 'Astra Blue') also comes in pink and white.

Just about any hydrangea variety will add drama to your yard, but there's something special about panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata). This flowering plant grows massive cone-shaped flowers that bloom on new wood and put on quite the color show: Flower heads emerge as white or green in mid-summer, fading to gentle pink or red as the season draws to a close.

Grown as a woody shrub or tree, angel's trumpet (Brugmansia) can thrive outdoors in warm climates and in containers in cold ones, says Dave Whitinger, the executive director of the National Gardening Association. Its cone-shaped flowers—as big as 24 inches long, depending on the cultivar—dangle downward like trumpets from the heavens.

Focal points in your landscape add visual order by telling the eye where to look first. You can create them with hardscaping, like a bench or statue, or with a flowering plant that's so big, colorful, or surprising that it's impossible to ignore. As you design your garden, experts say to consider adding these showstoppers to your space.

Are you looking for a few plants with massive flowers to add to your garden this season? There are many different plants that have enormous blooms that you'll love. In this article, gardening expert Jill Drago shares some of her favorite plants that will bring extremely large flowers to your garden!

Make sure to maintain consistently moist soil, ensuring it doesn't become waterlogged. Water deeply when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. Also remember to avoid overhead watering to prevent foliage diseases. Instead, water at the base of the plant and get the Viola plant the water it needs.