GEORGE NEWS - The next entry into the Guinness Book of World Records might come from our neck of the woods.
But it's not the biggest ostrich egg, the longest paragliding flight or a two-headed Knysna Loerie.
No, this entry you will find under the food and drink section of the record book in the form of the world's biggest plum.
This giant mango-sized anomaly tipped the scale at just over 464g when it was weighed at Optima Electronics (George) last week. According to Dean Barnard, proud farmer of the eight-year-old plum orchard in which the fruit was grown, and co-owner of Oppie Plaas Boerdery in Waboomskraal, this giant weighed just over 480g when it was harvested about three weeks ago. Unfortunately it lost a couple of grams due to moisture loss.
As per the Guinness World Records, the heaviest plum is recorded at 354.57g and it was grown by a Japanese man named Yoshiyuki Tomiyama in Japan in August 2021.
Tomiyama's plum is from the family Prunus Salicina, and is also called the Japanese or Chinese plum. Trees from this plum family are considered to produce the largest plums in the world. The Barnard's plums are of the Autumn Treat variety that are known for their sweet taste and crispy texture.
The plum from the Barnards' farm in Waboomskraal - a whopping 464g when it was weighed at Optima Electronics last week.
But for the Barnards this record breaking plum was not really surprising as they regularly harvest above normal sized plums on their farm. Their secret to this sweet success however stays exactly that - a secret.
Dean Barnard's father, Deon, said he discovered the plum when he was checking the crates of fruit after the harvest that day.
"I walked past the crate and saw the plum. We've had a couple of big ones before and maybe if we searched more carefully, we might have found an even larger one," he said.
Dean said the idea to enter for the Guinness Book of World Records came after they harvested a plum, similar in size, last year.
"My wife looked at it and asked me whether I knew there was a world record for plums. We googled it and saw the biggest plum was the one that was recorded in Japan. When this plum came around this year, we decided to enter it as it weighed much more than the current world record holder," he said.
All the requirements have been met and submitted to the Guinness World Records and along with the Barnards, we wait with bated breath.
Young Wian Barnard carefully holding the prize plumb of 464g. Photo: Kristy Kolberg
The plum from the Barnards' farm in Waboomskraal - a whopping 464g when it was weighed at Optima Electronics last week.
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