On February 12, an Israeli strawberry was certified by the Guinness World Records as the world’s heaviest Toot BaSadeh (Strawberry in the Field) farm grew the berry that weighed 289 grams (about 10 ounces) farmer Tzahi Ariel first weighed an iPhone A regular strawberry weighs just 15 or 16 grams The massive berry measured 18 centimeters (7 inches) long 4 cm (1.57 inches) thick and 34 cm (13.3 inches) in circumference Posted by ‎צחי אריאל‎ on Thursday “I am a second-generation strawberry farmer,” Ariel tells ISRAEL21c “Since my three brothers and I were children About 10 varieties of strawberries are raised on Toot BaSadeh’s 100 dunams The record-breaking Ilan variety was first planted there about three or four years ago and like the others is sold in the farm’s own market and across Israel I am very proud to put Israel and Kamida-Zoran on the map,” Ariel says Nir Dai the Volcani Center plant scientist who bred the Ilan variety grown on Toot BaSadeh This strawberry expert said it was indeed the biggest strawberry he’d ever seen Although Israel has only about 1,000 acres of strawberries — all grown in covered hothouses at various farms — the government’s renewed breeding program at the Volcani Center has introduced about 10 commercial varieties since 2006 almost all new Volcani cultivars are named in honor of (and a few in memory of) children: Tammuz The Carmel Agrexco company bred strawberries named Orly and now they dominate the fields,” Dai tells ISRAEL21c One of the Volcani Center’s original goals in breeding new varieties was lengthening the growing season you could find strawberries in the market only from late January to mid-February,” Dai says Now Israeli strawberries are available from November to May aroma and firmness; berries that are too soft cannot be shipped long distances Lavi is wide and conical while Hadar is oval Color is another consideration depending on the market The British prefer bright red strawberries most Israeli strawberries stay on the domestic market because demand is high and there isn’t enough land to increase capacity significantly several fruits fuse together into one flower And the weather very much affects the size Cold temperatures make the berry big and heavy because from flower to fruit takes more than 45 days Dai says the Volcani Center experimented with growing strawberries in the Golan Heights in July but their average weight was just 12 to 15 grams which is easy to pick and boasts exceptional flavor and shelf life “It’s very crunchy and sweet and hardy enough to grow outdoors I hope it will be commercialized in southern California or even in South Africa,” Dai says Israeli farmer Chahi Ariel holds a strawberry weighing a whopping 289 grams (over half a pound) in Kadima-Zoran The titanic berry this week was declared the world’s largest by Guinness World Records The strawberry was picked on Chahi Ariel’s family farm near the city of Netanya in central Israel in February 2021 Guinness confirmed it as the heaviest on record Ariel says he stored the berry in his freezer until getting the news A strawberry weighing a whopping 289 grams (over half a pound) is on display in Kadima-Zoran Farmers collect strawberries in Chahi Ariel’s farm where a 289 gram (over half a pound) strawberry was grown in Kadima-Zoran The Guinness Book of World Records this week declared the titanic berry the largest on record a mammoth Israeli strawberry is entering the record books Weighing a whopping 289 grams (10.19 ounces the titanic berry this week was declared the world’s largest by Guinness World Records “We waited for a year for the results,” Ariel said The supersized strawberry is a local variety called Ilan that tends to grow to a hefty size Ariel said the record-setting specimen has shrunk to about half the size it was a year before The previous record-holder for the heaviest strawberry was was a Japanese fruit grown in 2015 in Fukuoka that tipped the scales at 250 grams (8.8 ounces) Ariel said he jumped up and down in his car “We are very happy to be in the Guinness World Records,” he said '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/liveblog_entry\/id-soldier-killed-another-seriously-wounded-during-fighting-in-northern-gaza\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=4KWGaF0HZ9iHxOl7zsC96Ih2.qri1HJczhYY7Lqj6lw-1746532105-1.0.1.1-CSd7xlovQ4fyxDZso0ZytSR1kcsoRDn27_nwJLvN1uI" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}());