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State of Florida: Record Size Fruits & Vegetables
Official Guidelines
For use by county agents of the University of Florida/IFAS Extension as a means of certification for the largest vegetables grown in the counties of Florida. Florida produced vegetables, certified by the Extension Service, may be officially entered and kept in the computerized records kept by the University of Florida in the “Tracking Florida’s Largest Vegetables” TEAMS folder. A file of largest sized specimens grown in the state provides a means of answering the many inquiries received annually by Extension concerning the status of a particular vegetable specimen. This program was created by James M. Stephens – Professor Emeritus, University of Florida.
Submission Rules
- The grower must process a claim with the Extension Agent in the Florida county in which the vegetable is grown.
- The Extension Agent must certify the specimen as the correct species, type, or variety for which the record is claimed. Only those vegetables shown below under the permitted list will be considered for entry in the official records. The list is compiled by the current Record Vegetable Coordinator and may be modified only by approval.
- The Extension Agent must weigh the vegetable with a FDACS permitted scale or otherwise measure the specimen. The Extension Agent must check to see that the specimen is not altered in any way in which would add to its dimensions or weight. Growers are advised to delay harvest until the Extension Agent advises the grower to harvest the specimen. Guidelines can be found on the “Weighing and Measuring Florida-Grown Record Size Vegetable” document.
- A photograph of the specimen must be taken and submitted by the Extension Agent with the entry form.
- The Extension Agent must determine whether a larger specimen is already on record. To access the current records, the Extension Agent will need to review the “Tracking Florida’s Largest Vegetables Records” document found in the “Tracking Florida’s Largest Vegetables” TEAMS folder. If a larger specimen is on record, no further action is required other than to notify the grower of such information.
- The Extension Agent will submit a photograph of the specimen and the Official Entry Form (at the end of this document or found on TEAMS) to the “Tracking Florida’s Largest Vegetables Entries” folder on TEAMS. Upon receiving this entry properly processed, the current Record Vegetable Coordinator may review the claim with the submitting Extension Agent and has the option to physically inspect the specimen before accepting it as an official state record. The current Record Vegetable Coordinator is the final authority in designating any submitted specimen as an official state record vegetable.
- The current Record Vegetable Coordinator will provide a certificate which will be presented by the Extension Agent to the grower in recognition of the record. The current Record Vegetable Coordinator will update the Tracking Florida’s Largest Vegetables Records. All previous holders of records will be maintained.
- Records will not be submitted to the keepers of national records (Ex. Guinness Book of World Records). Such submission is the responsibility of the grower.
| Permitted Vegetables (Categories) | Regulation / Instructions |
|---|---|
| Bean, Green (Phaseolus vulgaris) (Pole or Bush) | Basis for record: Pod length. Measured pod length from point of attachment of peduncle (pod stem) to fleshy part of pod. Snip off pod-stem at this point, then measure full length of pod to the tip of the pod horn. |
| Bean, lima (Phaseolus lunatus) | Basis for record: Pod length. Same as for bush bean, except does not have to be attached to plant, and there is no maximum length of plant stipulation. |
| Beet (Beta vulgaris) | Basis for record: Root weight. Trim top to 1 inch from root (trim tap root 1 inch). No sugar beets allowed. |
| Cabbage (Brassica oleracea Capita group) | Basis for record: Weight of head. Cut stem 1 inch below base of head; leave wrapper leaves intact. |
| Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo Reticulatus group) | Basis for record: Fruit weight. Weigh fruit, without stem. |
| Carrot (Daucus carota var. sativus) | Basis for record: Root weight. Cut leaf stems 1 inch above root (Leave tap root attached). |
| Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea Botrytis group) | Basis for record: Weight of head, including leaves. Cut stem 1 inch from base of head (keep head-leaves intact). |
| Celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) | Basis for record: Weight of stalk. Cut 1 inch below base of stalk. Weigh all leafy portions as part of stalk. |
| Corn, sweet (Zea mays convar. Saccharate var. rugosa) | Basis for record: Weight of ear. Cut 1 inch from base of ear. Weigh unhusked (unshucked) ear. |
| Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) | Basis for record: There are two categories for cucumber. A. Weight of fruit, and B. Length of fruit. B. Weigh fruit without stem. C. Measure length of fruit without stem. NOTE: These are not combined; there are two separate categories. Please, no Armenian or Japanese cucumbers. |
| Eggplant (Solanum melongena var. esculentum) | Basis for record: Weight of fruit. Cut stem 1 inch from base of fruit. |
| Endive (Cichorium endivia) | Basis for record: Weight of head Cut stem 1 inch from base of leaves. Weigh with all leaves attached. Seed stalks, if present, must be trimmed even with leaf mass. |
| Escarole (Cichorium endivia) | Basis for record: Weight of head Cut stem 1 inch from base of leaves. Weigh with all leaves attached. Seed stalks, if present, must be trimmed even with leaf mass. |
| Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) | Basis for record: Weight of head. Includes all types as one category. Cut stem 1 inch below base of first leaves. Seed stalks, if present, must be trimmed even with leaf mass. |
| Mustard (Brassica juncea) | Basis for record: Weight of leafy plant. Cut stem 1 inch below base of leaf-stalks. Seed stalks, if present must be trimmed even with leaf mass. |
| Okra (Hibiscus esculentus) | Basis of record: Two categories for okra. A. Pod weight - cut stem 1 inch from base of pod. B. Pod length - cut stem 1 inch from base of pods then measure length to tip of pod. C. See (other) for stem length. NOTE: These are three separate categories. |
| Onion (Allium cepa) | Basis for record: Weight of bulb. Cut roots 1 inch below base of bulb. Cut top 1 inch above top scales of bulb. No doubles allowed. |
| Pea, English/Snowpea (Pisum sativum) | Basis for record: Length of pod. Cut peduncle (pod-stem) at base of pod, measure from this point to tip of pod (horn). Includes edible podded varieties. |
| Pea, southern (Vigna unguiculata) | Basis for record: Length of pod. Same as for English pea. No 'yard-long' varieties. |
| Pepper, bell (Capsicum annuum) | Basis for record: Weight of pod. (All types pepper.) Cut pod-stem 1 inch from base of pod cap. Weigh pod with 1-inch stem attached. |
| Potato, Irish (Solanum tuberosum) | Basis for record: Weight of tuber. Remove stem and all eye sprouts. Weigh a single tuber. It may be misshapen or have second-growth, but may not be attached by stolons to other tubers when weighing. |
| Sweet Potato (Ipomea batatas) | Basis for record: Weight of root. Remove all stems and secondary roots. No multiple roots. |
| Radish, Red Summer (Raphanus sativus) | Basis for record: Weight of root. Cut leaf stems 1 inch from fleshy portion of root. Trim tap root 1 inch. Red varieties only. |
| Radish, winter (Raphanus sativus) | Basis for record: Weight of root. Cut leaf stems 1 inch from top of fleshy portion of root. Trim taproot 1 inch. All varieties eligible, including Daikon. |
| Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) | Basis for record: Weight of leafy plant. Cut main stem 1 inch from base of leaf stems. Weigh all of leafy portion. |
| Squash, summer (Cucurbita pepo) | Basis for record: Weight of fruit. Includes all soft-skinned varieties of C. pepo which grow on a bush. Cut stem 1 inch from fruit. Zucchini (separate category) same basis. |
| Squash, winter/pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L., Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita maxima) | Basis for record: Weight of fruit. Fruits of Cucurbita that grow on a vine and which are usually eaten when rinds are hard. Due to the difficulty in distinguishing between a winter squash and pumpkins, these two kinds of vegetables will be grouped for the purpose of Florida record sizes. Trim stem to 1 inch. |
| Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) | Basis for record: Weight of fruit. Trim fruit-stem to 1 inch. |
| Turnip (Brassica campestris Rapifera group) | Basis for record: Weight of root. Trim top stems to 1 inch length; also tap root must be trimmed to 1 inch. No Swedes (rutabagas). |
| Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) | Basis for record: Weight of fruit. Trim stem to 1 inch. |
| Other Category (The Following Vegetables) | All “Other” vegetables will be recorded on an as is basis. Notes will help determine how measured. |
| Bonita | Basis for record: Same as for sweet potato |
| Broccoli | Basis for record: Weight of flower head. Cut stalk no more than 2 inches below flower head. |
| Calabaza | Basis for record: Weight of fruit. Same as pumpkin (27). |
| Cassava | Basis for record: Cut one root at junction of stem. Trim to 1 inch beyond tip. |
| Chicory | Basis for record: Weight of root. Trim top 1 inch above root. |
| Collard | Basis for record: Plant length (height). Measure from ground level to tip of growing point. |
| Cucumber (Armenian) | Basis for record: Same as for cucumber (length only). |
| Garlic | Basis for record: Same as for onion. |
| Gourd | Basis for record: Weight of gourd (same as pumpkin). |
| Gourd, cucuzzi | Basis for record: Length of gourd without stem. |
| Honeydew | Basis for record: Fruit weight. Weigh fruit, without stem. |
| Jicama | Basis for record: Weight of root. Trim stem to within 1 inch of root. Trim taproot to 1 inch. |
| Kohlrabi | Basis for record: Weight of swollen part. Keep all leaves, but trim stem 1 inch below swollen part. |
| Malanga, Taro, Yam | Basis for record: Weight of single tuber. Trim 1 inch at the end. |
| Melon, winter | Basis for record: Weight of fruit. Trim stem to 1 inch |
| Okra stem | Basis for record: Length of stem (stalk). Cut stem at ground level. Measure to shoot tip |
| Rutabaga | Basis for record: Weight of root. Trim top stems to 1 inch length; also tap root must be trimmed to 1 inch. |
| Yardlong Bean | Basis for record: Pod length. Same as for bush bean, except does not have to be attached to plant, and there is no maximum length of plant stipulation. |