Whopper spud unearthed

Ellis Hawkins of New Waterford, Ohio, was surprised when his spade uncovered this huge sweet potato while he was harvesting his crop in mid-October. The Georgia Jet variety weighed 8 1/5 pounds and measured a full 11 inches in length. The Columbiana County gardener tried three sweet potato varieties this year, picking the Georgia Jet after seeing a photograph in the Gurney’s seed catalog of a six-pound potato. Hawkins has sent a picture of his even-bigger tuber to the seed company. Hawkins will soon enjoy the fruit of this bountiful harvest, appropriately enough, on Thanksgiving Day, when he plans to use the sweet potato to help feed the 25 guests coming for dinner.