Fruit shops are now drawing customers with the sweet smell of mangoes and jackfruit. In the honey season, mangoes, jamun, jackfruit, lychees and many other fruits are on sale.

Like other fruits, jackfruit has only just started reaching the market, but finding a ripe, sweet one is quite difficult. Many people are cheated after buying a jackfruit on the seller's word that it is ripe.

Check these five things before buying, and you will easily be able to pick a ripe, juicy jackfruit.

1. If possible, have the jackfruit cut open before you buy it. Street fruit sellers do not usually sell jackfruit this way, but many supermarkets sell it cut. That lets buyers see the inside, so check that the pods are soft and fresh.

2. Another way to tell a ripe jackfruit is to smell it. Jackfruit has a very strong aroma, and you can tell from the smell whether it is ripe. If there is no fragrance, it is not yet ripe.

3. A ripe jackfruit turns bright yellow on the outside. If the skin is a deep colour, it has probably been coated with added colour.

4. Make sure the jackfruit is undamaged when you buy it. Do not buy one that has gone soft in any part from extra pressure. Avoid jackfruit that is too soft or squashy, as the pods inside will also be too soft.

5. Tree-ripened jackfruit tastes best. If a jackfruit is picked unripe and stored to ripen, much of its flavour is lost. If you can buy a tree-ripened jackfruit, you can be sure it will be ripe and sweet, so buy one if you find it.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.