This 7.9 kg potato could be the largest in the world

La patata de Donna y Colin Craig-Brown sobre un camión de juguete.
Donna and Colin Craig-Brown's potato on a toy truck.
November 08, 2021

A 7.9 kilo New Zealand potato could set a new world record for being the largest of its variety. Colin and Donna Craig-Brown found it by surprise in their backyard while they were digging a hole, and they didn't know what it was about until they ventured out to test it. "We couldn't believe it," the couple explained to the Associated Press. "It was huge".

When the shovel found the huge tuber, they thought it would be one of the sweet potatoes that they usually plant in their garden, they had not planted anything else for a long time, but in reality, it was what could be the largest potato in the world. The Guinness record is currently held by a five-kilo specimen that was found in Great Britain in 2011.

The couple did not know it was a potato until they tasted it

Colin and Donna await Guinness to examine their tuber, which they have named Doug. Meanwhile, it has become the attraction of the neighborhood.

Donna and Colin Craig-Brownla:
 

"We put a hat on it, we made an account on Facebook and we started walking it around the neighborhood to get the sun."

"It's great how it entertains people."
Donna holding Doug, her giant potato

Donna holding Doug, her giant potato.

And its size is not the only thing that draws attention, also its mysterious appearance. Colin and Donna say they haven't grown potatoes in more than three years. "It is a mystery. One of those pleasant surprises that nature gives you," they have expressed to the New Zealand media.

Although they have also admitted that sometimes they neglect their garden so much that the herbs and plants they grow are beyond their control.
 
Collin walks the potato around the garden

Collin walks the potato around the garden.

Doug lives in the couple's freezer, who has wrapped the potato in plastic bags to keep it from drying out. But his life seems like it won't be very long, as Colin, an amateur brewer, is eager to turn his potato into vodka, he explained to the AP.
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