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Ackee

Doglips
11 years ago

So I just came back from Grand Cayman and I stumbled upon an ackee. I had no idea what it was so I took a picture of it and showed a girl at the hotel. she said it was an ackee and it is used in the Jamaican national dish, salt codfish. I tried to get more information from her but she didn't know too much about it. I attached the wikipedia article (cuz I'm too lazy to upload one). I had to look at the fruits several times, they looked and felt like plastic fruit, very strange. Anyways the girl at the hotel said that it was not ripe, and that it has to open up before it is ready. Again I tried to get more information and failed. I asked if it was treated like a breadfruit (I think she didn't know what a breadfruit was). The wikipedia article shows both the state I saw and the open ripe version. I didn't notice any aroma around the tree.

Anyone familiar with these and willing to share some insight?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackee

Comments (11)

  • Doglips
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    ok, so I asked before looking there are a couple threads on this. Basically they will kill you if you don't do this. And if you don't do that, they will kill you. And, they taste like scrambled eggs.

    So i would still like to try some someday, but I'll leave the starting an ackee ranch off of the short term agenda.

  • tropicbreezent
    11 years ago

    I got a few trees at home, they were mostly already here when I bought the place. But a few more keep springing up. I suspect birds are moving them about. When I first read up on them years ago I just backed off and never went back to them again. There's a lot of great tropical fruits around without having to flirt with death.

  • gnappi
    11 years ago

    Jamaicans eat them all the time, you can buy them canned in brine and yes to me they taste like scrambles eggs.

    I guess if I didn't have a ready supply of eggs I'd consider owning an Ackee tree. :-)

  • tropicbreezent
    11 years ago

    I'll stick to eggs as well :O)

  • Boukmn
    10 years ago

    "ok, so I asked before looking there are a couple threads on this. Basically they will kill you if you don't do this. And if you don't do that, they will kill you. And, they taste like scrambled eggs. "

    Specifically, there is just TWO simple rules:

    1. Wait till the ackee is naturally open before you eat it.
    2. Don't eat the seeds.

    ~ Period. That's it. Everything else in "preparation" is in the taste of the preparer, not a safety issue. It is not well known but important to note, ackee is also medicinal in that the slight traces of the chemicals hypoglycin A & B left in the fruit lower blood sugar.

  • prettygirl77
    10 years ago

    I members I have a ackee tree in my back yard, my problem there are some white bugs they fly are eating off the leaves , does anyone know what I should to get rid of these bugs, thanks

  • Boukmn
    10 years ago

    Let me guess, its a beetle about 1/4 long that drops off to the ground if the leaf its on is disturbed?

    You will need:

    1. 100% pure agricultural neem oil. (I would get the 32oz size).
    2. 1 gal pump pressure sprayer.
    3. Dish Washing Soap.

    Mix a 5% neem oil solution like this:

    0.5% Solution in ý Gal
    ==================
    10 ml neem oil
    2-4 ml insecticidal soap or other detergent
    0.5 gal warm water (approx 1.8L)

    Spray the foliage.

    This will safely take care of the problem and is non-toxic to animals and non-leaf eating insects. Because it is a safe, non-persistent organic bug control you will need to reapply perhaps once a month if the bugs come back.

  • Boukmn
    10 years ago

    Neem works on most any pesky bug..

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Have To Trade List

    This post was edited by Boukmn on Sat, Nov 23, 13 at 15:42

  • prettygirl77
    10 years ago

    Thank you very much, I am at work as soon as I get home I will apply this, will let you know what happen next.

  • Boukmn
    10 years ago

    PrettyGirl;

    Read up on neem oil and how it works if you have not used it before. It does not kill leaf eating insects right away like a direct chemical insecticide does. It has different effects on different species. On some species it makes them forget how to eat so they starve to death, some species forget to mate, some forget how to fly, some experience a combination of effects.

    Neem can also be used as a systemic bio-insecticide by treating the plant at its roots too by adding a bit more soap (use transparent, non-perfumed dish soap) to deal with some bugs. However, I only would use this approach to treat an established hedge b/c neem administered like this can slow plant growth.

  • prettygirl77
    10 years ago

    Hi to all my gardening friends, I have sprayed my ackee tree with the neem oil and all the bugs are gone, thanks to you for that info, now my ackee tree will have some life. HAVE A WONDERFUL MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

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