Farmer's Massive Strawberry Just Broke A World Record

There are big fruits, and there are those that make a grower realize they could have a winner on their hands — which, we can imagine, is what happened when strawberry farmer Chahi Ariel found a strawberry giant at his family's farm in the Israeli district of Kadmia-Zoran. Per The Times of Israel, the strawberry measured seven inches long, over 1 ½-inches thick, and had a circumference of nearly 13.4 inches. It weighed in at a hefty 289 grams (or 10.19 ounces). The fruit itself is of a local breed known as "Ilan," which Guinness World Records says is cultivated for its size. 

Nir Dai of Israel's Agricultural Research Organization says that conditions under which the large strawberry grew were made possible by unseasonal weather. "During this strawberry season in late January and early February, it was particularly cold," Dai, who was present at the weigh-in, explained. "The strawberry developed slowly for more than 45 days from flowering, which caused its large size at full ripening stage."

And because the giant berry is actually the result of multiple berries growing together to become one mammoth piece of fruit, The Independent says Ariel actually discovered not one, but four of these large strawberries — the record holding fruit just happened to be the biggest one.

To those who want to find out how the berry tasted and whether it was consumed, The Independent has news: The berry didn't come from this year's harvest, but last year's. But because Guinness needed time to confirm the size and heft of this record-breaking piece of fruit, the strawberry had to be kept in the freezer as proof, and today is not exactly the berry that it used to be. So news that the berry had stolen the "world's largest" title from a Japanese farmer, who had grown an Amaou variant that weighed 250 grams (or just over 8.81 ounces), was still cause for excitement.

"When we heard, it was an amazing feeling. I jumped in the car, laughed and sang. We've been waiting for this for a long time," farmer Chahi Ariel said.

Social media users displayed a sense of national pride over the Guinness World Records' Instagram post by posting the Israeli flag. It was left to one user who wanted to know if there was room to break another record with the ginormous strawberry, saying: "If they dip it in chocolate, it might also win the title for largest chocolate covered strawberry ever given to a partner."