Potato Grown in New Zealand Could Be Largest Ever

Potato Grown in New Zealand Could Be Largest Ever

Colin and Donna Craig-Brown were working in their New Zealand garden in late August. They were removing unwanted plants when they found something strange.

After a little digging, Colin discovered there was a very large potato growing in his garden. And they did not even plant potatoes!

How large was the potato?

"We couldn't believe it," Donna said. "It was just huge."

The couple worked the potato out of the soil and brought it to a scale.

It weighed almost 8 kilograms.

That's about the same as a small dog.

The potato may be the largest ever recorded.

Guinness keeps a list of world records. In 2011, a large potato from Great Britain weighed just under 5 kilograms. The New Zealand potato, now named Doug, could break the record.

The Craig-Browns asked Guinness to recognize their potato as the largest ever. They are waiting to hear back from the organization.

The potato has become famous in the town of Hamilton. Colin built a small cart to take Doug on walks around the neighborhood.

"We put a hat on him. We put him on Facebook, taking him for a walk, giving him some sunshine," Doug said. "It's all a bit of fun. It's amazing what entertains people."

Colin said he does not have any special gardening methods to pass on. Normally¹, he and his wife fertilize² their garden with waste from cows and dried grasses. The Craig-Browns were growing cucumbers⁴ in that part of the garden, so they were surprised to find a potato. It may have been growing for two years or more.

The potato is getting a little old now, two months after it was taken from the ground. It smells bad. Right now, it is in the freezer.

But it might not stay that way forever. Colin said Doug's future may be as the main ingredient⁵ in alcohol⁶.

Words in This Story

garden– n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown

scale – n. a device⁷ that is used for weighing people or things

cart – n. a small wheeled vehicle that is pushed or pulled

fertilize – v. to make (soil, land, etc.) richer and better able to support plant growth by adding chemicals or a natural substance (such as manure)

cucumber³ – n. a long vegetable with dark green skin and crisp⁸ flesh that is often used in salads or for making pickles⁹

freezer – n. a device or room for freezing food or keeping it frozen

1 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

2 fertilize   

v.使受精，施肥于，使肥沃

参考例句：

• Fertilizer is a substance put on land to fertilize it.肥料是施在地里使之肥沃的物质。
• Reading will fertilize his vocabulary.阅读会丰富他的词汇。

3 cucumber   

n.黄瓜

参考例句：

• This cucumber plant is climbing.这棵黄瓜爬蔓了。
• Let me eat a cucumber.让我吃一根黄瓜.

4 cucumbers   

n.黄瓜，胡瓜( cucumber的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She steeped the cucumbers in brine. 她把黄瓜泡在盐水里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cucumbers are crisp and refreshing. 这黄瓜脆生爽口。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 ingredient   

n.（烹饪）等的材料，原料，成分，因素

参考例句：

• The basic ingredient of this meal is rice.这一餐的主要原料是大米。
• Trust is a key ingredient.信任是关键要素。

6 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。

7 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

8 crisp   

adj.脆的；清新的；扼要的；n.[pl.]油炸土豆片

参考例句：

• What a crisp voice she has!听她的嗓音多脆！
• These pears are sweet and crisp.这种梨又甜又脆。

9 pickles   

n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱

参考例句：

• Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛