Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Weight Per Bushel Varies With Crops

by Barbara A. Holt, Ph.D.

Clark County Extension Agent -

Family and Consumer Sciences

Cooperative Extension Service

Many consumers buy orchard and garden produce in large quantity to save a little money on the food bill. They share these products with neighbors or other family members, or they preserve them to use later in the year.

Have you ever wondered if you are getting the amounts you pay for?

If you want to buy a bushel of apples, how many pounds should it weight?

Does a bushel of corn weigh the same?

Do all `bushel' baskets really hold a bushel?

These are just a few of the questions you shold be able to answer before shopping at roadside stands and produce markets.

If you are not aware of standard weights for produce, you will be totally dependent on the honesty of the vendor (and the scales) to give you the amounts you request.

When buying only a few pounds, there is not much room for error. Just watch the scales as the product is weighed to be sure you are getting the right amount.

If you plan to can or freeze these foods for winter meals, you'll probably buy by the bushel rather than the pound.

Some guidelines from Becky Reynolds and Lynn Russell of the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas, are good to keep in mind if you are purchasing fruits and vegetables in large quantities.

If a bushel basket is your measuring tool, be sure it is a standard measure. If you buy by the peck, know that there are four pecks to the bushel. Be sure the peck basket is standard size also.

If you want a bushel and don't have a standard bushel basket, know how many pounds to expect per bushel, and be sure you are given the correct weight to equal a bushel.

The following weights and measures are from the Arkansas Bureau of Standards Division of Weights and Measures:

• apples - 50 pounds per bushel;

• green beans 9unshelled) - 30 pounds per bushel;

• green string beans - 24 pounds per bushel;

• lima beans - 56 pounds per bushel;

• blackberries - 48 pounds per bushel;

• ear corn - 70 pounds per bushel;

• unhusked corn - 74 pounds per bushel;

• cucumbers - 48 pounds per bushel;

• grapes - 48 pounds per bushel;

• onions - 57 pounds per bushel;

• peaches, matured - 48 pounds per bushel (peaches often sell in 38-pound containers, which is 3/4 bushel);

• pears - 45 pounds per bushel;

• green peas (unhulled) - 30 pounds per bushel;

• Irish potatoes - 60 pounds per bushel; and

• tomatoes - 55 pounds per bushel.

If you have reason to believe that someone has sold you a quantity of produce that is less than what you paid for, report it to the Arkansas Bureau of Standards Division of Weights and Measures. The number is 501- 324-9680. Ask for Tim Chesser.

The problem will be investigated by that agency.

For information on preserving fruits and vegetables, contact the Clark County Extension office at 870-246-2281.