Author Topic: Which is the best Jackfruit variety as far as sweet-taste and productivity?  (Read 40679 times)

LEOOEL

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Can someone please comment on which is the best Jackfruit variety when it comes to Sweet-Taste and Productivity?

The very best Jackfruit cultivars that I'm aware of (in the USA) are Mai1, Mai2, Mai3, J30, J31, NS1 and Excalibur-Red.

Has anyone tasted all of these varieties and can you comment on the one that has the best Sweet-flavor and is the Most-Productive?

I only have one location/spot in my yard to plant a grafted Jackfruit tree; I already have Black-Gold and Sweet-Fairchild.

Please exclude any nasty Jackfruit varieties that split/crack wide open when they ripen.

And, please feel free to comment even if you've not tasted all of the above cultivars.

Thanks



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bsbullie

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I don't think there is any one true answer to this.  I would eliminate J-30 and Mai 2 (Mai 2 cause it doesn't seem to be as productive) and add Dang Suria/Red Morning, Bangkok Lemon and Excalibur Gold, otherwise depending on who you talk to, what they are growing and where they are grown, they are all very good varieties that you would no go wrong with.  Noel will most likely tell you that J-31 is the winner while I would be hard pressed to chose from Excalibur Red, Dang Suria, Mai 1, Mai 3 and hard not to keep Bangkok Lemon in the mix.  To be fair to Noel, I have tasted his J-31 and it is definitely excellent but I am partial to the aforementioned Reds and the Mais (1 & 3).  I am sure Harry, Clint and Sheehan will chime in and their opinions should also be highly regarded.

I know this was very little help but it is honest advice.  You are going to have to throw a dart and pick or wait till later this year and taste them for yourself before you buy...
- Rob

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Rob
I will agree with you here...there are many excellent Jaks besides the J-31. It's in my top three for taste but every year I am tasting more new Jaks that are outstanding. The J-31 did not hold up well in the 2009-10 cold wave we had so it's slipped on my list of favorites.  I have tried all the ones you mentioned except for the Ex-Red and they are very good quality fruits. Any one of those can be recommended. My seedling of the Dang Suria which I called DS-2 was outstanding this past year, very productive and a vigorous cold hardy grower. Bottom line, there is no one "perfect" Jak, but there are many great ones!       
FloridaGreenMan

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My seedling of the Dang Suria which I called DS-2     

I thought you renamed it "Recher".
Harry
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Seadation

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LoL!!
LEOOL have you tried sweet Fairchild? and if so what are your thoughts? I have a tree but am waiting for it to fruit and have yet to try it.

mangomandan

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My seedling of the Dang Suria which I called DS-2     

I thought you renamed it "Recher".

  I don't usually LOL, but......   You are the master, Harry. 

FloridaGreenMan

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My seedling of the Dang Suria which I called DS-2     

I thought you renamed it "Recher".

I am LMAO........
FloridaGreenMan

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My seedling of the Dang Suria which I called DS-2     

I thought you renamed it "Recher".

LOL  ;D
Alexi

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"Recher" :)   ... Very good :)

Anyway, I agree with the above selections, although I have not tasted all the above named varieties.  I am however growing most of them. 

I would add the Black Gold x Tabouey seedling Harry is growing ( for my palate the Best I've had so far).  Problem is, the only source for that is Harry's tree. 

LEOOEL

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Seadation,
Fairchild tastes great! I got the tree several years ago at a Jackfruit event held at Fairchild Tropical Garden. Recommended by none other that Chris Rollins himself.
He described it as a fast growing, productive and sweet tasting Jackfruit. And, I was hooked.
The only problem is that I planted it under the shade of the neighbor's giant Royal Poinciana.
The reason I did this is because I wanted the Sweet-Fairchild to put up a fight and take the sunshine that falls on my yard, back from the R. P. that is stealing it.
And believe me, it's putting up a great fight. It's growing fast and slender, shootin straight up for the sunlight. And, trying to take it back from the R.P.
The only problem is (because of the fight for sunlight that is going on), the tree is producing only about 2 to 3 jackfruits per year.
Perhaps if it was in a sunny location it would be very productive, like Chris Rollins said.
Other than the low production, so far, I just love the fruit. To the point almost of addiction.
For example, when I clean the fruit and serve all of it to family and friends, there is usually someone who says: "That's a weird looking fruit, I'm not eating it!"
I then try to control my ego as best I can. ;D So that I can live with myself, I try to convince them, really hard, that they will love it, if they taste it.
But more often than not, they'll refuse it.
Then I'll ultimately say (to myself), Yes!!!! ;D Because I'll most likey get to eat their share. So much for being sincere.
Will, there you go, I hope this gives you an idea of how much I like the taste and texture of the fruit.
The size, I'd say medium-large, some latex but manageable. It's regarded by some as being one of the great Jackfruits of the world!
I hope this gives you an idea about the specs of the Sweet-Fairchild Jackfruit. ; full disclosure, this is the only Jackfruit that I've ever tasted.
Leooel
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LEOOEL

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That's very funny Harry. LOL  ;D

Great replies/recommendations people. Thank you.

I'm trying to play it safe and was down to 3 finalists to choose from: Mai1, Mai2 and J31.
After getting your input, I've deleted Mai2 (thanks for the heads up Rob). So, now I'm down to Mai1 and J-31.
The reasons why these 2 are the finalists are:
Mai1: Famous taste with almost/practically no latex and is productive from what I've gathered online.
J-31: Great taste and texture, productive, large, minimal latex? And, from one of the Tom Cruise movies (almost), "You Had Me At:" Will often produce off-season fruit during the fall and winter. ;D

Seriously, is this true? Has anyone had this experience with J-31? That it will often produce off-season fruit during the fall and winter? Any input on this will be appreciated.

FloridaGreenMan,
Ex-Red, great nickname, I like that! LOL  ;D
But seriously speaking, as always, thank you so much for your valuable info.
I've been trying to get the grafted Excalibur-Red for the past 6 months. But, the people at Excalibur Nursery keep telling me to just wait 2 more months.
I love Excalibur, but I've decided to play it safe and exclude it from my list to choose from. Perhaps down the road I'll purchase it. But, I want to see and taste it first.
By the way, if I choose the J-31 (very tempted to), I hope it won't be affected too much by cold winters, since I'm further south from you. I'm in Miami, FL.

Hey guys, I had no idea there was so much fruit-tree/jackfruit activity going on up there in Boynton Beach, Coral Springs, Davie... You guys are awesome! 8)

I only have 4 spots in my yard to plant:
(Spot1) A grafted winter ripening avocado cultivar (that I haven't really found/decided on yet)
(Spot2) A grafted Excalibur-Nursery Spanish-Lime fruit tree, with free-stone in the fruit and male/female flowers on the same tree.
Excalibur told me, in the middle of last year, that it would be available sometime this year.
(Spot3) A grafted Sweet Heart TM Lychee fruit tree.
(Spot4) A grafted Jackfruit cultivar (J-31 and/or Mai1).

I am considering to forget about finding a grafted winter ripenin avocado and replace it with Jackfruit!
If it's true that J-31 Jackfruit will produce off-season fruit during the winter and fall. Then, I'll just plant the J-31 and Mia1, and forget about the winter ripening avo (if it exists at all).

Before I make my final decision, I'm planning to find some time/$, and set up an appointment to visit Richard Campbell (in my last post I miswrote his name, sorry) at Fairchild's Williams Grove. And, if Mr. Campbell would be so kind, see what he thinks.

Thank you for all the help. I'll keep you guys posted.
Leooel

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mangomandan

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It sounds like you are well along with your planning.   After you've filled those 4 spots you will start to wonder if you could have somehow squeezed out six spots instead  ::)

Enjoy your visit with Dr. Campbell. He's my hero, as was his father before him.

bsbullie

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Both Excalibur Red and Excalibur Gold, grafted, ARE now available for purchase in a 3 gallon at Excalibur.  I would not exclude Mai 3 or Dang Suria/Red Morning from your list.

I highly doubt there will be any grafted Spanish Lime/Genip/Malmoncillo available this year at Excalibur.  I think it will still be a little ways off having them ready for sale.

Just as a point of info, Sweetheart Lychees (no need to use the "TM" when you type it) are not grafted, they are air layered.

As far as off season jackfruit, it is not limited to J-31.  In 2011, they seem to be common from the Mais, Bangkok Lemon, Dang Suria/Red Morning and both the Excalibur named offerings.  In 2012, not so much.  I will say, however, that it seems that both the aforementioned Reds are later season jaks.  As with some other fruit, a lot of the ripening/harvest timing depends on the prior year weather.

As for latex, both the Mais "seem" to have less latex but to be honest, so do the Reds...while it may be based on varietals but as Oscar has said, I believe harvesting at the proper time and cleaning at the proper ripeness play a large role.  It has been noted by a few that refrigeration prior to cleaning may also play a role in the suppressing of the latex.

I am not stating that Chris Rollins does not know jak (ok, couldn't resist) but I question what he has tasted, especially when you bought the Sweet Fairchild.  For one, I find it odd that if it is that fantastic that it is not in demand by other growers and/or available from other growers.  What is the texture?

Years ago, when Richard Campbell first tried the Mai 1, he was skeptical of its quality and reputation, feeling that he had the best of the best at Fairchild, until he tasted it...well, he ate his words and was blown away by the taste and edible fruit to waste ratio of each properly pollinated fruit.

Excalibur will be open tomorrow, Monday, January 21 (I say this since it is MLK holiday), come on up and I will show you all the different grafted jackfruit...we also have some excellent Sweetheart Lychees and some really nice 25 gallon Hak Ips.
- Rob

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Rob, I'm going to try to get to Excalibur Monday as well.   I'd love to learn more from you about the Jaks there.  Right now I have baby J-31 and Borneo Red.    I think I could squeeze in one more.  I like a rich flavor and a vigorous tree. Crisp is nice but texture isn't a deal-breaker.    I had one of the Mais a few years ago, don't know which one.  It was kind of a weak grower for me, and then the hurricanes finished it off.   :-\

mangomandan

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Thanks again, Rob. The Excalibur Red looks great, as does the South Florida persimmon that I picked up this morning.

Mike T

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mangomandan

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Amazing pictures of those J33s.

fruitlovers

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Best tasting? Best tasting to whom? It's like picking the most beautiful woman in the world. Who will be Miss Universe? It all depends on the panel of judges that happen to be picked, and their own particular preferences and prejudices, not on any inherent beauty in the constestants.
Notice also that like with best tasting fruits, the most beautiful woman in the world changes from year to year.  ;)
Oscar

Mike T

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I do like to line varieties up together pagent style and compare them.There is no where to hide then.Admittedly taste is different for everyone and there is much variation within varieties depending on conditions they were grown in a million other factors.I have to admit that quite often the older varieties that I used to like, have really let themselves go over the years and are not quite as good as they used to be.It can't possibly be that my taste has changed.

fruitlovers

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I do like to line varieties up together pagent style and compare them.There is no where to hide then.Admittedly taste is different for everyone and there is much variation within varieties depending on conditions they were grown in a million other factors.I have to admit that quite often the older varieties that I used to like, have really let themselves go over the years and are not quite as good as they used to be.It can't possibly be that my taste has changed.

Yes, i like to do the same: compare varieties side by side. I find that's really the only way you can really judge which one you like best, if there such a one. If you eat one cultivar in June and another in October your taste memories will be quite faded by then and the comparison will not be fair.
But it's a far cry from saying that you like one particular variety the most to calling it the best one, as in the best one in the world, or even the best one in Florida. Which implies it's absolutely the best for everyone there.
Oscar

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I bet J33/tekam will make its way to Florida before long.
http://www.mbg.com.my/MBG/news-a-updates/1053-sweet-success-for-malaysias-veteran-honey-fruits-grower-jackfruit-farm-.html

Great post.  Not sure why, but my favorite line in the article is:

Some people love jackfruits due to its energy content  --  98 % of jackfruit gives energy.  The fat content in this fruit is only 3 % -- hence, it augurs well for those who are looking at slimming down.

I think I need to go on a jakfruit diet.
Harry
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hehe I had to look that word up.

I bet J33/tekam will make its way to Florida before long.
http://www.mbg.com.my/MBG/news-a-updates/1053-sweet-success-for-malaysias-veteran-honey-fruits-grower-jackfruit-farm-.html

Great post.  Not sure why, but my favorite line in the article is:

Some people love jackfruits due to its energy content  --  98 % of jackfruit gives energy.  The fat content in this fruit is only 3 % -- hence, it augurs well for those who are looking at slimming down.

I think I need to go on a jakfruit diet.
Jeff  :-)

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I was a little misleading in referring to J33 as tekam as I thought they are actually the same variety.They are very similar elite Malaysian types held in highest regard.
http://animagro.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/papaya-post-harvest.html
Both would be welcome additions to the jackfruits available in any area.

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I would eliminate J-30 and Mai 2 (Mai 2 cause it doesn't seem to be as productive) ...

That might explain why I was able to buy a Mai2, 3 gal for $15 at the Rare Fruit Tree Sale.   :( 
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I'm not an expert on Jackfruit, but I think there is a best jackfruit.  The best jackfruit is one that someone else has already cleaned and is ready to eat.  For those in Florida, it's like how it's better to have a friend with a boat, than to own a boat yourself.

LEOOEL:  The University of Florida published a paper (on the internet), listing about a dozen different varieties of Jackfruit fond in Florida.  The study included flesh ratio, seed count, rag ratio, whether varieties split, productivity, etc.
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