A hobby farmer from Coffin Bay on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula is now the official record holder for the biggest elephant garlic grown in Australia.
Elephant garlic is not scientifically classified as garlic … it's more closely related to leeks.
Jon Thompson knew he was on to something big when he harvested the crop and found the monster bulbs.
"Each year, they have just got bigger and bigger," he said.
"And, each year, I have selected the top 20 per cent to plant again and they started hitting what I thought would be Australian record sizes."
Officially weighed
Mr Thompson's elephant garlic weighed in at 1,092 grams, which is about 100 grams off the world record.
After working out, he might be on to a record, he took it to the local post office.
"I had to have it signed off by a Justice of the Peace and it had to be weighed on official scales, which the post office scales are officiated," Mr Thompson said.
While it might seem like a pretty straightforward process, it was a nerve-wracking one for the backyard grower.
"I had to chop the stem within two inches of the cloves and the roots had to be no more than 6 millimetres," Mr Thompson explained.
"It was a bit daunting mentally.
"I kept thinking, 'Oh, if I do something wrong, maybe I won't qualify', because I knew I had a record and I really wanted to make it count."
New Australian record
Mr Thompson's garlic was officially recorded by the Australian Giant Pumpkin and Vegetable Supporters (AGPVS) Group.
The AGPVS is the certifying body that recognises and keeps track of Australian vegetable and fruit records which include weight, length, circumference and produce per plant.
While carrots and pumpkins are popular record holders, elephant garlic is not huge in the Australian record books, with the last Australian record back in 2016 at 813 grams.
Paul Latham is the coordinator with AGPVS and says Mr Thompson's elephant garlic has set the record for others to beat.
"To tell you the truth, this is the first one in a while for us," he said.
"He has made and beaten a new record."
Mr Latham said not every vegetable grown had a record attached to it.
"He came to us with the elephant garlic and so he has now established a record for here in Australia, which is fabulous and with a super-sized garlic at that," Mr Latham said.
"There is all these weird and wonderful things that we figure need a record … if it's the first one, if someone overseas has already grown one we will compare it to the way it has been weighed and measured over there to help us set a record weight to aim for."
A love of competition
Mr Latham said even though elephant garlic was not huge in Australia, there was plenty of scope for competition now the record was set.
"It will be fabulous … I am all for competition, that's for sure … its great fun," he said.
"I have the record for tallest sunflower in Australia, but I have been hoping someone will break it because then I might give it another shot to break it again."
Mr Thompson is also aiming for future records.
"Next year, hopefully, we will have a crack at the world record."
"I feel like I have a fair chance … I am going to stick with what I have been doing and give them plenty of room and plenty of love throughout the growing season, and I think we can get even bigger."
