Organic Young Jackfruit, Jackfruit Organic - 4.4 Pounds

Excellent product.Never having ordered this before, I was expecting it to look like canned jackfruit - white and in brine - but this is different. If you too have not used this before, here is what to expect:It is packaged in foil without additional fluids, and it has a dry look with a brown color. But, it is not dry, but nor is it slippery wet. There are no added fluids, and it is the consistency of the freshly pared fruit. The brown color you might assume is a mistake or turned rancid, but it is not. According to company webpages, "Most jackfruit contains preservatives and additives, but ours is 100% jackfuit! Due to oxidation and no preservatives our jackfruit is brown in color, making it even meatier!" That is correct. Think of it like an apple that has browned some. It is not like a browned banana that has gotten mushy, nor an exposed avocado that turns brown and bitter. The taste and freshness of this product are preserved despite the color.Consistent with it being the unripened fruit, the taste is a bit acidic or sour, but also a bit fruity or flowery. Unlike yellow sweet ripened jackfruit, it does not otherwise have a distinctive flavor, just that subtle slightly sour fruitiness. This is why it works well to mimic meats or anything else you might wish, because it will adopt whatever spices and seasonings you add without fighting against its own taste.I used my first 4.4 pound bag to make barbecue. Taste and texture were nearly identical to shredded meat barbecues, which was all a function of the spices and sauces that were added (I made my own, but your favorite bottled barbecue sauce would work just the same). That slightly sour floral taste of the jackfruit came through a bit, but if you do not approach this as "vegan pulled pork", instead just accept it on its own terms as barbecue sauce jackfruit, it is fantastic. Personally for me, I liked it better, and if I were at a picnic or restaurant and was offered a shredded meat barbecue slider versus the same with jackfruit, I would take the jackfruit every time. My first batch using about a pound of the fruit was a big hit, and I soon used the rest of the bag for the same recipe. Now, I am curious to see how it does with other dishes.If you need the jackfruit to be a lighter color for a certain dish, then canned varieties would be better, but for darker dishes or where color is irrelevant, the taste and texture of this is comparable to canned jackfruit (but a bit fresher). This product has the advantage that there is no waste - no brine to discard - you are paying for 4.4 pounds of fully usable product.I was very pleased with the product and the value for the money. I have added it to my Amazon grocery list for easy reordering.

If I could give this product a big fat ZERO STARS, I would. I don't even know where to begin... At first inspection, the color of it was very unappealing. Once I opened the package, the chemical odor that wafted from the bag almost made me want throw it in a toxic waste bag and toss it. However and for whatever reason, I went so far as to attempt to take it out o the bag. This seemed a difficult task. Around 25% was immediately tossed since It was stuck and completely melded to the bag. The texture was mushy and unnaturally soft. The smell was so off-putting I truly did not want to taste it.... Unfortunately, I did. It was exactly as I thought. Chemical forward, mush. Repulsive was the first word to come to mind. PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT. I wouldn't feed it to a dog.

I was hesitant to try it because of certain reviews; but for the cost, I did anyway. And I'm definitely glad I did! The texture and the color (for those of us raised on meat) resembles the best pot roast you've ever eaten (other than none of the fat & knowing it's not animal)! It takes the flavors of what you cook it with very well, comes apart easily into shreds if you want that, & has a lovely neutral flavor that does not get in the way. So far I've used it in stir fry & eaten a little bit plain, right out of the bag, for curiosity. Both my roommate & I LOVED it! This is the best jack fruit "meat" I've ever had. The "seeds" in it are small enough that the skin around them are very soft unlike others I've eaten that have the skin in and (in my opinion) ruin the otherwise lovely texture. That alone has me sold on purchasing this product again once we've eaten up the large amount! ;) HIGHLY recommend.I do not know how it is after freezing as I'm just now putting the extras into the freezer. My thought, based on its current texture, is that it should be just fine. I definitely don't want to waste any of this!UPDATE: I have frozen this many times & it comes out just fine. When I said before that it has a "lovely neutral flavor", I mean that it really is neutral if you eat it right out of the bag. You're going to think it doesn't taste like anything, really, maybe even weird. BUT, the great thing is that the neutral taste means that it can easily take up whatever you season it with. Because it's "deep" like meat, I think it best with flavors you'd use for beef (ie: Massamun Thai Curry - personal fav!, BBQ, or other strong flavors). However, if you marinade it beforehand, you could possibly have even more flexibility with using it.

This was my first time trying jackfruit as a meat alternative. I wanted to keep it simple so I went with tacos. I sauteed the fruit in a little oil with onions and bell peppers and used McCall's taco seasoning. I was a little concerned about the color because jackfruit doesn't start out brown. It wasn't slimy and there was no rotting fruit taste so I suspect that is the color to expect. I put the small white dish on the bag in the third photo so you can see what color it was. It smelled fine and was loose when I opened the package. Ultimately it was yummy on my tummy with no G.I. repercussions.I would say that the seller's description of meatless alternative was more spot-on than descriptions that say its a meat substitute. The texture was much nicer than tofu and while it lacked the chewiness of meat, it had a good mouthfeel anyway. It was textured more like hearts of palm or artichoke. As a taco, it had an appealing look to it, sort of like pulled beef, but it lacked the richness of meat, so consider adding more cumin and garlic like I did to bump the flavor without the sodium. Straight from the bag, it tasted bland with a slight undertone of sweetness. I am a savory girl so I used savory seasonings and it eliminated that sweetness. The blandness is an asset in this product because you can make tacos, soups, BBQ sandwhiches, rice bowls, etc. with it and it will take the flavor of whatever seasoning you are using.I asked around about the latex bit (because I have an allergy). Some said that fresh jackfruit would likely make me sick if I didn't know how to prepare it properly. Others said similarly that I should get it already prepared in a can or vacuum sealed and that if it was prepared properly there wouldn't be latex in it. For those of you with latex allergies, this did not irritate my skin, throat, or stomach.Lastly, I really liked the price of this. There aren't many clean meats on the market nowadays that you can get 4.4lbs for 14 bucks. Typically I see meat alternatives cleaning out the pockets of vegans and vegetarians everywhere, with prices frequently double that of the original animal product. Additionally, this is definitely a better alternative to meat than an overpriced, over-processed, hunk of gluten. I was a pretty big bag so I won't be needing any for a while but this will definitely be a repeat purchase.

This is BY FAR, the best quality and price I've found for jackfruit (using as a meat substitute). The canned products are so much waste and processing to remove seeds. With this package, you can use it immediately. There is another review on here, claiming it's terrible and smells... it IS NOT fresh fruit, it is YOUNG JACKFRUIT, which is used to replace pork or chicken. Here's the recipe I used for Vegan BBQ, so GOOD!!Jack Fruit Barbecue2 cups vegetable stock3 cups jackfruit (I used half of the package)1/3 cup red wine vinegar2 tablespoons olive oil1 medium onion, sliced3 cloves garlic, minced2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon pepper1 teaspoon cumin1 teaspoon chili powder1 teaspoon paprika½ teaspoon cayenne pepper1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1 teaspoon liquid smoke3/4 cup vegan barbecue saucePREPARATION1. Soak jackfruit in vegetable stock, vinegar and add some water, just to cover the fruit. Let this sit 2 hours.2. Once the jackfruit has been rehydrated, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.3. In a heavy saucepan, add the olive oil, onions and garlic, and cook until translucent.4. Add the jackfruit, spices, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke. Stir to coat evenly.5. Simmer on medium, stir during cooking to breakdown the jackfruit and create a shredded look.6. Let this simmer 45 minutes, until most of the liquid is gone.7. Spread the jackfruit on a prepared baking sheet, drizzle with half of the barbecue sauce.8. Bake at 350ºF/180ºC for 45 minutes, until the liquid has baked out and the jackfruit has a deeper brown color.9. Stir barbecue, turning over in the pan. Add remaining sauce and bake for another 45 minutes.10. Serve warm on vegan buns with vegan coleslaw.

My ExperienceJackfruit in general is a great meat alternative as well as a soy alternative. I was looking for something to replace my love of fake, soy, chicken nuggets and stumbled upon “Fried Jackfruit Chicken Recipes”. I wanted to try out this version of Jackfruit and a canned version.Once I received the package, I was eager to get to frying! With trial and error, I learned some tricks to make a jackfruit fried chicken, but the canned version is better than this.Tip & Tricks & Recipes• Once you open either canned or this bagged jackfruit, you want to rinse it well, and be careful to not make the chunks break apart too much. Don’t forget to remove any seeds you see.• In a bowl, combine 2 vegetable bouillon cubes with 2-3 cups of warm water and dissolve. ( you can add other ingredients to the marinade if you like)• Put the rinsed jackfruit into the bowl and allow to marinate for 45-60 mins.• Remove jackfruit and use as you would like.• SEE END FOR RECIPEPackagingThe packaging was fine. Nothing special, no damage during shipping, it came in a metallic packaging, which looked like it was supposed to be vacuum sealed, but it was not.Pros• Large amount• Quick shippingCons• You have to use it quickly in order for it to be fresh.• Most of the jack fruit seemed to be hard, from the brine.SummaryThe quality is average. You do get a lot of product for what you are paying. I did not like this jackfruit. I thought the flavor is completely different than canned jackfruit and if you are cooking for smaller amounts, then most of the jackfruit in this bag will go to waste. I do not think I will be using this product again, I will buy the canned version I was lucky enough to find in my local store.Recipe• After following instructions listed above you want to season your jackfruit. (for 14 oz of jackfruit)o 3 tsp of salto 1 tsp of peppero 2-3 tsp of paprika powdero 2-3 tsp of garlic powdero 2-3 tsp of onion powdero ½ tsp of cayenne powdero 1/8 tsp of rosemaryo 1/8 tsp of thyme• What ever ingredients you like to taste, you can not go wrong with adding them. You can get a smokier flavor if you want to do BBQ jackfruit by adding some liquid smoke or smoked paprika.• Mix together those ingredients and evenly coat the jackfruit chunks and place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven at 350 for about 20 mins, it helps dry out the jackfruit for a better texture.• Preparing the wet batter:o 1 cup of almond milk ( or another non dairy option)o 1 tbs of apple cider vinegaro ½ - ¾ cup of flour (start with less because you can add more)o ½ tsp baking sodao 1 tbs salt• Preparing the dry battero Left over seasonings that you used on your jackfruito 1 cup flouro 2 tbs cornstarcho You can add other spices if you would like to the dry batter• Dip the jackfruit in the mixed wet batter and then into the dry batter• Once you are ready, heat up a oil of your choice that is suitable for high temperatures• Make sure the oil is hot enough so the jack fruit does not absorb more oil than is needed.• Place the coated jackfruit in the pan (carefully because the oil will spit)• Let cook until golden brown 2-4 mins depending on size and heat.• Take them out carefully and put on a paper towel to get off excess oil.• I like my super crispy so I let them get more of the brown side, rather than golden.ENJOY!

I don’t like food from cans & canned jackfruit is getting expensive; so, both reasons lead me to find this brand. Considering it’s over 4 pounds, I thought the price was reasonable enough to try it. Upon inspection, I was honestly impressed with the packaging. Nicely sealed and not frozen, two pluses for me. It is not the color of most jackfruit, it’s more a reddish hue but is definitely jackfruit. The texture is there but the taste is kinda bland, I’m ok with that because I season everything anyway. The bag is big enough to section out into 4/5 quart bags (with a portion left to cook for dinner). Before I ran out and before the price rose, I ordered a second bag. I intend to order more. Minus the color, it’s nearly a perfect buy. I would recommend this to a friend!

Absolutely disgusting! I make jackfruit stew during the cold months and this was the first year I couldn’t get it from my local store so I bought this since it was highly recommended. Worst food purchase of my life. Even after simmering in my stew base for 40 minutes it has this nasty flavor that matches the atrocious smell from the package. I saw some people say that it cooks up great and no funky taste but I don’t know if they just have poor taste buds or I got a bad batch but I will never buy this again. In time where money is tight, I was counting on this for many meals. Now I’m out $30 and have to figure out how to make meals for my family without it.