The fruit in question (Photo: Screenshot via KAKE-TV)
In Winfield, Kansas, one community gardener planted cherry tomatoes in her garden, and, as the season progressed was surprised to see one of the bulbous fruits grow…and grow…and grow. It was yellow and much larger than any cherry tomato had the right to be. So the gardener, Sherri Miller, started wondering what it might be.
She and the other gardeners started speculating. The vine the fruit grew on had tomatoes at its end, but the plot also contained watermelons. Maybe the mystery fruit was cross-bred?
When the local news crew showed its video to an agricultural specialist, though, a more likely explanation emerged: this supposed tomato was actually an eggplant. Like tomatoes, eggplants are part of the nightshade family. How one ended up on a tomato vine, though, is still a mystery.
Bonus finds: Alaskan dinosaur, early evidence of salmon dinner
Every day, we highlight one newly lost or found object, curiosity or wonder. Discover something unusual or amazing? Tell us about it! Send your finds to sarah.laskow@atlasobscura.com.