What’s a Bushel? What’s a Peck?

I first encountered the words “bushel” and “peck” as a child. My grandmother used to sing “A Bushel and a Peck,” a Frank Loesser song from 1950, when she was trying to entertain or comfort me. At the time, the both seemed like a couple of goofy words that old people used– along with my grandma’s other expressions like “swanee” and “dadburned”.

It wasn’t until I was a teenager and volunteering at an organic orchard that I encountered the word again. The farmer asked me to collect six bushels and twelve pecks, and handed me several appropriately sized bags. It took me a moment to remember where I’d heard those two strange words.

Outside of agriculture, the words bushel and peck aren’t used frequently, so many people of non-agrarian backgrounds never hear the words at all. This is especially true if you don’t frequent farmer’s markets or other places selling bulk produce.

The word bushel comes from the 14th century word buschell, meaning box. However, its original definition referred to a cylindrical measuring device. It is technically used to measure the volume of dry goods. One bushel is exactly equal to 8 dry gallons or “corn gallons”. This is the same as 35.239 liters, 2150.42 cubic inches or 9.309 liquid gallons.

A peck- which, if you didn’t hear it from “A Bushel and a Peck,” you certainly heard from “Peter Piper”– is exactly one quarter of the size of a bushel. It is the same as two dry gallons, eight dry quarts, or sixteen dry pints.

The bushel and peck are both related to other now-obsolete units of measurement. two pecks, or half a bushel, were once known as a kenning, while a quarter of a peck was known as a lippie or forpet. The word firlot has also been used synonymously with bushel, although it is now also obsolete.

You’re not likely to use bushel and peck in everyday conversation unless you decide to get involved in agriculture as a career. But, if nothing else, it’s good to know the meaning behind the two words in that cute song from the 1950s.

Click here for specific weight measurements of common dry commodities, measured by the bushel.