Daily News

Fun UK News 11th October 2022

Bump-kin! Monster
Pumpkin Causes
Travel Chaos
Is a pumpkin a fruit or vegetable?

• A pumpkin is actually a fruit. That’s because it

grows from the seeded part of a plant, above
the ground.

• They are also a type of berry too called pepo.

Other pepo berries include cucumber and
watermelon.

It’s that time of year when pumpkins seem to

be popping up everywhere. They’re in shops,
window displays and outside people’s houses.
But, what about blocking a road?
Last week, a pumpkin in Southampton -
which would give James’ Giant Peach a run for
its money - got into a spot of bother.
This is no ordinary pumpkin. It is Britain’s
largest and weighs a whopping 1205kg. That’s
around the weight of a small car!
Earlier that day, the pumpkin had been
weighed and was confirmed as Britain’s
heaviest ever.
The record had previously been set by
the same growers who had one weighing
1176kg in 2020.
While on route to a local festival, the
enormous gourd tipped off the trailer that was
transporting it.
It was grown by twins Ian and Stuart Paton.
Ian said: “We were moving the pumpkin into a
different car park and it was so heavy that the
trailer tipped”.
Despite causing a commotion, the pumpkin
was eventually retrieved from the hedge it
landed in using a telehandler machine.
Fortunately, the pumpkin was not damaged
during the incident. Ian said: “Luckily the
pumpkin wasn’t seriously damaged and no
Illustration: Britain’s biggest pumpkin.
one was hurt – it has got a few bruises but
nothing major.”
Now that it has been ‘patched’ up, the
pumpkin can be seen at Sunnyfields Farm in
Southampton. It will be on display amongst
other super-sized seasonal fruit and vegetables.
The Paton brothers have another ‘monster
pumpkin’ from this year’s crop. They were hoping
that this pumpkin would break the world record.
However, as enormous as it was, it was weighed
this weekend and sadly failed to smash the
current world record.
Who knows, perhaps next year they
may be the proud owners of the world’s
biggest pumpkin!
Glossary
gourd A fruit with a tough skin and
soft flesh inside.
commotion A sudden flurry of excitement or
noise.
retrieved To get something back.
telehandler A forklift designed to pick up
and move heavy objects.

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