You’re standing at a farm stand or maybe staring down a massive crate in your kitchen, wondering if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew—literally. It’s a classic summer dilemma. You want to make jam, or maybe a few cobblers, so you bought a bushel. But then you look at the pile. It’s huge. Honestly, the question of how many peaches in a bushel isn't just about a single number; it's about physics, fruit size, and how much air is trapped between those fuzzy skins.
Most people assume a bushel is just a "big box." It’s actually a specific unit of volume, but because peaches vary so much in size, the actual count of fruit can swing wildly.
The Short Answer (And Why It’s Usually Wrong)
If you just want the quick math, a standard bushel of peaches weighs about 48 to 52 pounds. If the peaches are medium-sized—think about the size of a tennis ball—you’re looking at roughly 100 to 150 peaches.
But wait.
Have you ever seen those massive, "show-stopper" peaches at a premium orchard? If those are the ones in your basket, you might only have 75. On the flip side, if you’re dealing with smaller, wild-style peaches or early-season varieties like the 'Desertgold', you could easily be staring at 200 individual fruits.
The USDA actually has some pretty rigid standards for this, but nature doesn't always play by the rules. According to the USDA Federal-State Inspection Service, peaches are graded by diameter. A "Large" peach is usually 2.75 inches or more. A "Small" one is under 2.25 inches. That half-inch difference might seem tiny when you’re looking at one peach, but across a 50-pound box? It’s the difference between finishing your canning by 8:00 PM or still peeling fruit at midnight.
Why Weight is More Reliable Than Count
When you buy a bushel, you're buying 32 quarts of volume. That’s the official definition of a US bushel. However, most commercial farmers and grocery wholesalers talk in weight because it’s harder to argue with a scale than a count.
The University of Georgia Extension, located in the heart of peach country, generally tells folks to plan for 50 pounds. If you’re at a U-pick farm, they might just give you a wire-handled basket and tell you to fill it up. Pro tip: Don't mashing them down to fit more. Peaches are delicate. The ones at the bottom of a full bushel are already under a lot of pressure. If you pack them too tight, you’re not getting "more" peaches; you’re just getting five pounds of bruised mush at the bottom.
💡 You might also like: Easy recipes dinner for two: Why you are probably overcomplicating date night
Breaking Down the Peach Math for Your Kitchen
Let’s get practical. You probably aren't just counting them for fun. You’re likely trying to figure out if you have enough for a specific recipe. Here is how that 50-pound bushel translates into real food:
- For Canning: A bushel will usually yield about 18 to 25 quart jars of canned peaches. This depends heavily on whether you’re doing a "hot pack" (where you cook them slightly first) or a "raw pack." Hot packing lets you cram more fruit into each jar because the peaches shrink a bit.
- For Freezing: You’re looking at roughly 35 to 45 pints.
- For Pie: A standard peach pie takes about 2 to 3 pounds of fruit. So, one bushel could theoretically make about 20 pies. That is a lot of crust.
- For Jam: Since jam is mostly sugar and reduced fruit, the math gets wonky, but you can expect around 30 to 40 half-pint jars.
It’s also worth noting the "pit factor." About 10% of the weight of a peach is the pit. So, in a 50-pound bushel, you’re paying for 5 pounds of wood that you're just going to throw in the compost. Keep that in mind when you’re calculating your yield.
Understanding the "Bushel" Variations
Not every "bushel" is a bushel. It's annoying, I know.
In the world of produce, you’ll often see "half-bushel" baskets or "pecks." A peck is a quarter of a bushel. So, if you see a sign for a peck of peaches, expect about 12 to 13 pounds, or roughly 30 to 40 medium peaches.
Then there are the "lugs" or "flats." California peach growers—who produce the lion's share of peaches in the US—often ship in lugs rather than traditional round bushels. A standard California peach lug weighs about 25 pounds. It’s basically a half-bushel, but it’s shaped like a flat rectangular box to prevent the fruit from bruising. If you’re buying from a grocery store in the winter or early spring, you’re almost certainly buying from a lug, not a bushel.
The Variety Matters More Than You Think
Have you ever heard of 'Redhaven' peaches? They are sort of the gold standard for canning. They’re "freestone," meaning the pit just pops right out.
Now, compare that to a "clingstone" peach, where the flesh is basically glued to the pit. If you have a bushel of clingstone peaches, it’s going to feel like more peaches because the work involved in processing them is so much higher. You lose more fruit to the pit, and the process is messier.
📖 Related: How is gum made? The sticky truth about what you are actually chewing
Early-season peaches (usually available in May or June in the South) are almost always clingstone and generally smaller. This means your how many peaches in a bushel count will be on the higher end—closer to 160. Late-season peaches, like the 'Elberta' or 'August Prince', are usually massive and freestone. You might get through a bushel of those in half the time because there are fewer, larger fruits to peel and slice.
The Ripeness Factor
Here is something most people miss: a bushel of ripe peaches weighs less than a bushel of unripe peaches.
Wait, what?
As peaches ripen on the tree, they take on water. But once they are picked, they start to lose moisture through respiration. A "hard-ripe" bushel might weigh a solid 52 pounds. If you let that same bushel sit on your porch for three days until they are soft and juicy, they might only weigh 48 pounds. The number of peaches hasn't changed, but the water weight has evaporated.
If you’re buying by weight at a farmers market, buy them firm. You get more actual fruit for your dollar. If you buy them "mushy-ripe," you’re paying for a lot of juice that might end up leaking out of the bottom of the bag before you get home.
Avoid the "Top-Heavy" Trap
If you're buying a pre-packed bushel from a roadside stand, do a quick "heave test."
Some sellers—not all, but some—will put the gorgeous, jumbo peaches on top and fill the bottom with "seconds" or "culls." These are smaller, maybe slightly scarred peaches. There’s nothing wrong with seconds for jam or cobbler, but they take up less space, meaning you might actually be getting more individual peaches but less total volume than you think.
👉 See also: Curtain Bangs on Fine Hair: Why Yours Probably Look Flat and How to Fix It
A "true" bushel should be relatively uniform. If the peaches on the bottom look like golf balls and the ones on top look like softballs, the packing isn't honest.
Storage and Survival
Once you have your 150-ish peaches, don't just leave them in the bushel basket. The sheer weight of the top layers will bruise the bottom ones within 24 hours.
- Spread them out. If you have the space, lay them in a single layer on a towel or newspaper.
- Check the "shoulder." The area around the stem (the shoulder) is the best indicator of ripeness. If it’s still green, it’s not ready. If it’s yellow or creamy, it’s good to go.
- Cold storage is a double-edged sword. Refrigerating a peach stops the ripening process but can also make the texture "mealy" if they haven't reached full ripeness yet. Only put them in the fridge once they are exactly as soft as you want them.
Real-World Examples of Peach Yields
I remember a few years back, I helped a friend process three bushels for a local charity bake sale. We were using 'Georgia Belle' peaches, which are a white variety. They were huge. We averaged about 90 peaches per bushel.
The next year, we got 'Reliance' peaches from a local orchard in a cooler climate. They were tiny. We stopped counting at 180. The "reliance" variety is known for being cold-hardy, but they just don't get as big as the southern varieties.
The lesson? Never plan your jar count until you actually see the fruit.
Actionable Steps for Your Peach Harvest
If you’re planning a big canning or baking project, here is exactly how to handle your bushel:
- Prep your space first. Don't even bring the peaches inside until you have your jars sterilized or your freezer bags labeled. A bushel of peaches waits for no one.
- Sort by ripeness immediately. Make three piles: "Use Today," "Use Tomorrow," and "Wait Two Days."
- The Blanching Trick. If you have 120 peaches to peel, don't use a vegetable peeler. Cut a small 'X' in the bottom, dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge them into ice water. The skins will slide off like a loose sock.
- Calculate your sugar. For a full bushel of peaches being turned into jam, you’re going to need roughly 15 to 20 pounds of sugar. Buy it in the big bags; don't try to get by with the small boxes.
A bushel is a commitment. It’s a weekend of work and a winter of deliciousness. Whether you end up with 100 giant peaches or 175 small ones, the weight remains the same, and the flavor—if you caught them at the peak of the season—is incomparable. Just make sure you have enough friends to help with the peeling.