Jackfruit is found all over Uganda and is loved by many Ugandans. The fruit is not only is eaten but the seeds can be boiled and then roasted and eaten as snacks. It has a unique taste and there is no fruit that compares to its taste. The fruit grows on the branches and the main trunk of the jack fruit tree.
Benefits of Jack fruits.
The benefits of the jack fruit are as follows:
- Green leaves are fodder for goats
- Dried leaves are good fuel for cooking.
- The dry leaves are good for manure and mulching
- It has medicinal extracts that treat asthma, ringworm, cracked skin or wounds
- It can be used as timber when cut
- Potential source of income for both the rural and urban people.
- Nutritional value in ripe fruits as they are rich in vitamin A and B and the seeds are rich in minerals and vitamins.
- Jack fruit makes a good addition to fruit salad
- Jack fruit can also be preserved as syrup or dried.
- The flesh can also be used in ice cream, curries and deep fries or simply served chilled on a bed of ice.
- The seeds can be eaten boiled roasted or fried like chest nuts.
Yielding of the jack fruit trees
- The fast growing tree starts bearing fruit after three years.
- The tree produces fruits throughout the year, though production tends to go up during the dry season.
- A ripe fruit changes colour from pale green to brownish-yellow.
- Single tree will still produce fruits, it is better to grow several in a cluster to increase yields through cross pollination.