Jackfruit too has joined the list of fruits that have been converted into squash.
Jackfruit squash is the latest addition to the series of value-added products of the fruit, a creation of Uma Vijay Kumar, a homemaker-turned-entrepreneur of Koppa, Chikkamagaluru, for off-season use. She displayed it at the ‘halasina santhe’ (jackfruit mela) organised by Halasu Premi Koota here on Sunday.
Two years ago, she displayed at the mela, slices of dehydrated tender jackfruit, dried sweet flakes of jackfruit and dried un-ripened flakes of jackfruit for off-season use.
How long can the squash be stored? “The squash made by me in June and July last year lasted till this February. I stored it at room temperature and not in any refrigerator,” she told The Hindu . A half litre bottle of this squash is priced at Rs. 70.
Ready-to-cook slices
Shivanna from Sakharayapatna, of Parivarthana, a non-government organisation, had displayed ready-to-cook slices of tender raw jackfruit in special packets with invisible holes.
The slices, after cutting, are immersed in lime water and then packed in order to retain its original colour. Each packet could be stored up to a week. He procured the packing material from Coimbatore.
“Selling tender jackfruit like this is the best way to promote it as a vegetable. Farmers can do the packing easily at homes,” he said.
Mr. Shivanna said that his NGO gave training to farmers in cutting the fruit and packing. He can be contacted over 9481409660. He was selling small packets at Rs. 15 per packet.
The shandy also had jackfruit bar made in Maharasthra for sale, made with jackfruit pulp, sugar and cornflour. The ‘halwa’ of jackfruit was being sold at Rs. 100 per 250 gram.
There was a machine brought from Pune for cutting jackfruit flakes into slices for making chips. It cost Rs. 8,000 in Pune, a volunteer said. An entrepreneur was selling jackfruit chips at Rs. 100 per 250 gram.
The shandy also had saplings of different varieties of jackfruit for sale. Flying off the shelves were saplings of red jack, Singapore barike, Chandra Halasu and Uttama Barike.
Mouneesh Malya of B.C. Road, a member of the Koota, took the lead to organise the mela. It was the first jackfruit shandy of the season in the district.
