A grandmother in Britain believes she has grown the TWO longest cucumbers in the world.
Clare Pearce, 78, had never grown cucumbers before but was stunned when one of her vegetables reached a record breaking 47 inches.
The pensioner, who used seeds which were TWO YEARS out of date, also has a second giant cucumber which measures 43 inches and is still growing.
The current world record for the longest cucumber was set two years ago by Frank Dimmock, from Thame, Oxfordshire, whose vegetable reached 41.25 inches.
Mrs Pearce’s largest cucumber has now decomposed but she is waiting for Guinness World Record officials to measure the second vegetable and recognise it as a new world record.
“I found an old packet of cucumber seeds which ran out of date in 2008 but I decided to give them a try,” she said.
“I’ve never grown cucumbers before and I didn’t give them any special treatment, just watered them.
“I couldn’t believe it when two of them grew so long. It seemed like the biggest one was growing before my eyes.
“When I went back at the end of the day it would be longer than it had been in the morning. It must have been beginner’s luck.”
Mrs Pearce, who has 12 grandchildren, planted the Cucumber Melonie seeds in her greenhouse at her home in Whittlesey, Cambs, in May. The largest cucumber fell from the plant in August and soon started to turn yellow and decompose. It measured a whopping 47 inches in a straight line from top to bottom or 50 inches if you included its curve. The second vegetable already measures 43 inches and is still growing slowly.
“We picked some of the earlier cucumbers and they had a nice fresh flavour and tasted good,” she added.
“We certainly didn’t set off to grow large cucumbers, it just seems to have happened.
“I’ve also discovered a giant aubergine in my greenhouse, which is heading towards the size of a football.”
Mrs Pearce is now confirming if the cucumbers have officially set a new world record.
