Edward & Sons Organic Young Jackfruit - Jackfruit Organic, Vegan Meat, Vegan Fruit, Plant Based Meat, Vegan Meat Substitute, Unseasoned - 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.

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.

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.

I like jackfruit. I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I try to incorporate a lot of plant based meals into my life. I have been eating jackfruit on and off for years, just depends on pricing. I very recently bought this for $10, and I came back to buy more but saw that it has increased over 100% in price. Nope. I dont rate on price, so if this looks good to you go for it. edit 08/2022: LMAO-- and I just saw it went up again--up 400% to nearly $50 HAHAHAH, nah, I'll wait. That's around $10 PER POUND. jfc.. Canned jackfruit is easier, stores longer. I may go back to that. This is a big pack that will need to be used up quickly or repackaged and stored. It will freeze fine. Or go ahead and do your own canning with it. I soak it, then marinade it. The go to recipe for anyone new to using jackfruit is "pulled pork". It really works well in that manner as the mouth feel is nearly the same. These chunks are bigger and tougher than a lot of canned versions, so I will be trying this as a "stew". Can be tossed in slow cooker for "pulled pork" texture too. Jackfruit is nice as a meat replacer, and/or as a means to take in volume without all the calories that go with it. Lots of fiber per serving, super low calories, modest amount of protein. I think jackfruit is worth trying at least once, and if you can find some good ways to use it you will then likely want to continue with it. BTW, young jackfruit is not sweet. That is what is used in meat replacement. Young jackfruit has a neutral, almost artichoke/olive taste. I like it, and it seems to take on other flavors very well. I down rate only because my bag came with zero labeling. Just a bag of jackfruit. I hope this is accidental and not the norm.

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 Barbecue 2 cups vegetable stock 3 cups jackfruit (I used half of the package) 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon liquid smoke 3/4 cup vegan barbecue sauce PREPARATION 1. 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.