A New Zealand couple are waiting to hear if a mammoth 17½lb potato they dug up has been recognised as the biggest in the world.
Colin and Donna Craig Brown were weeding their small farm near Hamilton, when their hoe hit something massive just below the soil’s surface.
The couple knelt down to begin digging around the object. Mr Craig-Brown wondered what kind of weird fungal growth it might be like a giant puffball.
After scraping it with his garden fork he realized it was a potato.
They are waiting for confirmation that Doug is the largest potato in all of world. Mr Craig-Brown is a home brewer and said he would like to make potato vodka.
Colin Craig Brown found Doug and initially thought the strange fungal growth was a spud.
Mrs Craig-Brown stated, “We couldn’t believe that it was possible.” It was just enormous.
When the couple lugged the mutant-looking potato into their garage and put it on an old set of scales, it weighed in at a remarkable 17½lb (7.9kg). This is the equivalent of a couple of sacks full of regular potatoes or a small pet dog.
The couple’s unusual potato discovery on August 30 has made them a household name around their small farm.
They even built a small cart that Doug could tow.
Doug the potato is so big that Doug and his wife have taken to pulling it on a cart.
The comically large potato weighs in unofficially at around 17½lb (7.9kg), some distance ahead of the 11lb (5kg) record set in Britain in 2011
“We put on a hat for him. We put him on Facebook, took him for a walk and gave him some sunshine,’ Mr Craig Brown said. “It’s all fun and games. It’s amazing what people can do to entertain themselves.
A more official weigh-in at a local farming store put Doug at 17½lb (7.9kg).
Guinness World Records’ current entry for the heaviest potato weighs in at just under 11lb (5kg). They claim that Doug has been recognized and they are still waiting to hear back.
The potato is more weighty than a sack of regular-sized potatoes and could set new records if recognized
Reporters were informed by Mr Craig Brown that Doug the spud is “one of nature’s little pleasure surprises.”
Mr Craig Brown said that he does not have any gardening secrets. They usually add a lot of straw and cow manure to their garden to see what happens.
He claimed that they had grown cucumbers in the same area of their garden before weeds took control and had never planted potatoes. Doug may have self-sown the seeds and grown them for a few years.
Craig-Brown said, “It’s still a mystery to my eyes.” It’s one nature’s little pleasant surprises.
Doug is about the same size as a small dog. The couple noted that Doug is difficult to care for.
Doug has been difficult to look after. The potato began losing weight and drying out as the couple showed it off. Mould began to grow from its wounds.
So Mr Craig Brown took Doug’s stuff and put it in the freezer.
Doug may still be with the couple. Craig-Brown is a home brewer and said that he would like to make Doug potato vodka.