Monster pumpkin heavier than a small car breaks world record

 

A farmer from Italy has just smashed the heaviest pumpkin record, with a specimen that tipped the scales at 1,226 kg (2,702 lb 13.9 oz). 

That’s heavier than a Nissan Micra car, or about the same as 17.5 adult men!

Stefano Cutrupi celebrates his record pumpkin with fellow pumpkin growers

Stefano Cutrupi (Italy) from the commune of Radda in Chianti, Tuscany, who has been growing giant pumpkins since 2008, presented the super-sized squash at the 10th edition of the Campionato della Zuccone pumpkin festival in Peccioli, near Pisa, on 26 September 2021. 

t this event, also known as “Lo Zuccone” for short, it was assessed by representatives from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, who confirm that the quality of the produce is good enough to be entered for competition. 

Grown from seed, the pumpkin plant – a type of Atlantic giant – germinated back in March. Cutrupi had an inkling he could have a world record-beating pumpkin on his hands by late July. 

But nothing in the world of growing giant fruit and vegetables for competition is guaranteed. Anything can happen at any time, not least in the high-risk period after picking the produce and transporting it to the weigh-in event. 

So Cutrupi would only know for sure if he had set the record on the day of the contest, and there was considerable tension as he and the crowd waited in anticipation for the official announcement. 

As soon as a pumpkin is picked, the race is on to get it to be weighed as it starts to lose mass almost immediately

"In my head, I was reliving the whole journey to get to that moment," Cutrupi told GWR. 

"All the time dedicated to cultivation, to the search for new ideas, the time spent comparing myself with other growers, my sacrifices, and the sacrifices of those closest to me... there were good moments but I also had to swallow bitter pills."