From freakishly large fruits to strange abnormalities, you never know how your garden crops will turn out after you plant them. One Redditor was shocked to harvest an extremely rare pear with a fascinating anomaly.
In a popular Reddit post, one user shared a photo of their most recent harvest of red pears with one notable standout: a pear that is half red, half green — and it's a pretty straight line right down the middle.
After much discourse throughout the Reddit post, users helpfully shared the pear is a genetic chimera.
A genetic chimera is a very rare phenomenon where a single fruit has a genetic mutation in its cells. Basically, one part of the fruit will have a different genetic makeup than the rest, which can cause variations in color, flavor, or texture.
That's why this Redditor's fruit is half green and half red — each section has a different genetic makeup.
The Redditor wondered if the genetic disparities went beyond the pear's quirky look and impacted its taste.
"I'm letting it sit on the counter to get a little softer before finding out whether the two halves taste the same," the Redditor said. A few days later, they posted an update with a picture of the pear cut into two pieces. "Both sides looked and tasted the same," they concluded.
This Redditor's incredibly rare pear is an example of how intriguing home gardening can be. Watching plants begin as tiny seeds and grow is an exciting journey, especially if you achieve an unusual harvest.
Not only do you have a chance to grow unique fruits and vegetables, but you'll help the environment, too.
Growing your own food decreases the distance food travels from farm to table, reducing harmful carbon pollution from transit. Plants also absorb harmful gases that warm the atmosphere, so the air-quality benefits are two-fold.
Fellow Redditors were fascinated by this mutant pear in the comment section.
"Just a glitch in the matrix," one user joked.
"Incredible," another Redditor said. "Such a privilege to see nature in all its forms."
A third user added, "Amazing, I've never seen that before!"
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