Israeli farmer Tzahi Ariel presents his giant strawberry, weighing 289 grams. [Reuters]
Israeli farmer Chahi Ariel has grown the world's heaviest strawberry, according to Guinness World Records.
At 289 grams, the strawberry was about five times the average weight of a regular berry of the local Ilan variety, said Nir Dai, a researcher at Israel's Volcani Institute where the strain was developed.
The strawberry was 18 cm long and 34 cm in circumference, the online Guinness entry said. [Reuters]
The strawberry was 18 cm long and 34 cm in circumference, the online Guinness entry said.
Ariel had been hoping he was onto a winner when they saw how big the fruit was growing on his family farm last year. He has been waiting for confirmation it was a record while keeping the giant strawberry in the freezer as proof.
"When we heard, it was an amazing feeling. I jumped in the car, laughed and sang," said Ariel, proudly displaying his certificate on a laptop. "We’ve been waiting for this for a long time."
Workers pick strawberries at the field of Tzahi Ariel. [Courtesy]
Unusually cold weather in early 2021 slowed the strawberry's ripening process, allowing it to continue gaining weight, according to the record book's website.
The previous record was held by a Japanese farmer who discovered a 250-gram strawberry in his harvest in 2015.
