It's wonderful that we celebrate the delicacy of little, exquisite flavor bombs—tomatoes with a Brix of over 9, strong vines, and impressive shelf life. They shine like pieces of gold, or like a tiny angel playfully sprinkling sweetness across your tongue. A true treat, a delight for the senses.But let's quit the crap and talk about real tomatoes. The real tomato action is in the UK, where records are being shattered at the Malvern Autumn Show.
Remember Douglas Smith—the British grower from Hertfordshire who set the Guinness World Records for the most tomatoes on a single truss (1,269) and the most on a single plant (5,891)? Well, he's done it again. This time, he presented a giant weighing 4.39 kg (9 lb 10.8 oz), earning him the European record for the heaviest tomato.
© Guiness Book of Records
Other titles worth mentioning:
Longest radish: 7.848 m (25 ft 8.9 in), by Joe Atherton (UK) – who has come to be known as the "King of the Longs" owing to his extensive portfolio of "longest vegetable" titles
Longest aubergine/eggplant: 49 cm (1 ft 7.3 in), by Peter Glazebrook (UK); he also claimed the title for the tallest runner bean plant: 8.006 m (26 ft 3.2 in)
Longest sweet pepper: 26.7 cm (10.5 in), by Kevin, Gareth and Jamie Fortey (all UK)