Jack Fruit / Jacka

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is an extraordinary tropical fruit tree and one of those plants that feels almost unbelievable once you see what it can produce. The huge fruits grow directly from the trunk and larger branches and can become enormous, sometimes weighing many kilos. Inside are hundreds of golden, sweet, fragrant bulbs surrounding large seeds, and both the ripe and immature fruit can be used as food. The young green fruit has a firm, fibrous texture and is often cooked in savoury dishes, while the ripe fruit becomes wonderfully sweet and tropical.

Jackfruit is also a deeply nourishing food. The ripe fruit provides vitamin C, potassium, carotenoids and other protective plant compounds, while the seeds are rich in starch, protein and minerals and can be boiled, roasted or added to meals. Traditionally, different parts of the tree have also been used medicinally, including the leaves, seeds, bark and roots. The leaves have been used in herbal preparations connected with blood-sugar balance and digestion, while the seeds have traditionally been valued as a strengthening and nourishing food.

This is a true tropical tree and it loves warmth, rich living soil and plenty of organic matter. Jackfruit appreciates regular moisture, particularly while young, but the soil should drain well rather than remaining waterlogged. Give it sun and enough space because, with good conditions, it can eventually become a substantial tree with a broad canopy. Young plants appreciate protection from harsh wind and very intense sun until their root systems are well established.

Jackfruit can be grown very successfully from fresh seed, but the seeds do not like being stored for long, so they are best planted soon after coming out of the fruit. Growth can be surprisingly fast in fertile soil, and as the tree matures it develops into a beautiful evergreen presence in the garden. It is a wonderful tree for a food forest because it provides shade, biomass, enormous quantities of food and, once mature, an almost astonishing harvest from a single tree.