How Much of a Fruit or Vegetable Will I Need to Pick?

How Much of a Fruit or Vegetable Will I Need to Pick?

After you locate a pick-your-own farm near you, the next question that comes to mind is, how much should I pick in order to can, freeze, make jam, etc.? How much jam can I make from 6 quarts of berries?  How much applesauce will 2 bushels make? Then this is the page for you! The conversion and tables below should answer your questions.

I'm always looking for more to add and feedback, so please email me at the address at the bottom of the page!  And if you have a farm and want to add it or correct the information, please click on the link to "add my farm".

Remember to ALWAYS either email, call or click the link to the farm's own website (if they have one) on the morning before you go, to confirm hours, conditions and availability of the specific crops you want!!  

Be sure to also see your state's harvest calendar to know when each crop is usually ready to be picked - just click on your state and look for the harvest calendar / crop availability link.

And if you want simple illustrated, instructions on making and canning many common items, like how to make jam, applesauce, apple butter, spaghetti sauce, salsa, fruit pies, freezing vegetables, putting up peaches, green beans, etc., just click here.

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Of course, the next logical question is how much does a bushel of a fruit or vegetable produce when canned or frozen?

Weights and Approximate Processed Yields of Common Fruits and Vegetables

FRUITS	If you have this much fresh:	You  should get this much...
		Commonly made products	Canned	Frozen
Apples	1 bushel  (42-48 lbs) 80 to 100 apples (depends upon the size of the apples)	1 bushel = 12 to 15 qt. canned applesauce (no sugar added), 14 - 18 with sugar 1 bushel = 10 to 12 qt. juice	12 - 16 quarts	28 - 36 pints
	3 lbs.	1 quart applesauce	1 quart	2 pints
	8 medium apples = 2.25 lbs	1 nine-inch apple pie  or 3 cups of applesauce
	1 peck = 10 to 14 lbs
Berries (general) (except strawberries)	24-quart crate	jams, jellies	12 - 18 quarts	32 - 36 pints
	5 - 8 cups	Jam	1 quart	2 - 3 pints
Blackberries	1 quart  (2 pints)	Jam	1 pint	3/4 quart
	lbs.
Blueberries	1 quart		1 pint	1 quart
	3 lbs.		1 quart
Cherries	1 quart	jelly, canned cherries	1quart, unpitted	1 quart, unpitted
	2 to 2 1/2 lb.		1quart, unpitted
Grapes	1 bushel	juice	16 qt. of juice
	2 quarts	jelly	1 quart
Peaches	1 bushel (48 lbs.)		18-24 quarts	32 - 48 pints
	2 - 2.5 lbs			2 pints
Pears	1 bushel (56 lbs.)		20-25 quarts	40-50 pints
	2 - 2.5 lbs.		1 quart	2 pints
Plums	1 bushel		24 to 30 qt. canned
	2 to 2 1/2 lb.		1 quart
Raspberries	1 pint = 3/4 lb		1 cup jam	1 cup (if air is excluded)
	1 quart  = 1.25 to 1.5 lbs		2 cups jam	1 pint (if air is ecluded)
Strawberries	24-quart crate		12-16 quarts	38 pints
	6 - 8 cups		1 quart	2 pints
	lbs.
Tomatoes	1 bushel (53 lbs.)		15-20 quarts or 10-12 quarts juice
	2.5 - 3 lbs.		1 quart canned
VEGETABLES	If you have this much fresh:	...you should get this much :
		Canned	Frozen
Asparagus
	3 - 4 lbs	1 quart	3 pints
Beans, Lima	1 bushel (32 lbs.)	6-8 quarts	12-16 pints
	4 - 5 lbs.	1 quart	2 pints
Beets
	3lbs	1 qt. canned
Beans, Snap	1 bushel (30 lbs.)	15 - 20 quarts	30 - 45 pints
	1.5 - 2 lbs.	1 quart	2 pints
Cabbage
Corn (Sweet, in husk)	1 bushel (35 lbs.)	8 - 10 quarts	14 - 17 pints
	6 -16 ears	1 quart	2 pints
Cucumbers
Greens	1 bushel (18 lbs.)	6 - 9 quarts	8 - 12 pints
	2 - 3 lbs.	1 quart	2 pints
Peas, Field	1 bushel (30 lbs.)	6 - 7 quarts	12 - 15 pints
	4 - 5 lbs.	1 quart	2 pints
Pumpkins	one 10-lb pumpkin	2 quarts
Squash (summer) (zucchini, crookneck, Patty Pan, etc.)
	3 lbs	1 quart
Squash (winter) (Hubbard, banana, Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup)	1 bushel (40 lbs.)	16 - 20 quarts	32 - 40 pints
	3 lbs.	1 quart

Volumes and Conversions

One of these	...is equal to:
1 Bushel	8 gallons (dry) 32 quarts (dry) 64 pints (dry) 4 pecks 2,150 cubic inches
1 Gallon	4 quarts 8 pints 16 cups 231 cubic inches
1 Quart	32 fluid ounces 58 cubic inches 2 pints 4 cups
1 Pint	16 fluid ounces 29 cubic inches 2 cups
1 Kilo (or kilogram)	2.205 pounds
1 Liter	1.057 quarts (liquid)

Weight per Bushel for Common Fruits and Vegetables

If you like to do a large quantity of canning and once and be done with it for a year, you may want to do what I do, either pick in large quantity, or find the local real farmer's market (like the one in Forest Park, Georgia) and get bulk quantities.  In which case, you need to know, how much is in a bushel of the fruit or vegetables?  this table should help!

COMMODITY	Approximate weight per bushel, in Pounds		COMMODITY	Approximate weight per bushel, in Pounds
Apples	42 lbs.		Mustard Greens	18 lbs.
Lima Beans (unshelled)	30 lbs.		Onions	57 lbs.
Pole Beans	28 lbs.		Peaches	50 lbs.
Snap Beans	30 lbs.		Field Peas	25 lbs.
Shelled Corn	56 lbs.		Sweet Potatoes (fresh, green)	55 lbs.
Corn (in ear)	70 lbs.		Sweet Potatoes (cured, dry)	50 lbs.
Cowpeas	60 lbs.		Spinach	20 lbs.
Cucumbers	48 lbs.		Tomatoes	53 lbs.
Eggplant	33 lbs.		Turnips (without tops)	54 lbs.
English Peas (in hull)	30 lbs.		Turnip Greens (dry)	16 lbs.
Muscadines	50 lbs.		Turnip Greens (wet)	18 lbs.