Everyone always wants to know how much to put by for food stocks. That amount is hard to give because tastes differ so much. But, on average, here’s a list of some common vegetables and the amount of food an average adult would eat of each in a year. You can adjust this according to your own personal tastes and food preferences, and multiply it by the number of adults you’re feeding. Children from the age of about 11 through 20 will generally eat 1 1/2 times as much and children under 11 will eat 1/4 – 3/4 as much as an adult, so plan accordingly.
Beets – 8 – 16 quarts (1 – 2 pecks)
Broccoli – 10- 20 stalks
Brussels sprouts – Harvest of 10 plants
Buckwheat – 1 peck
Cabbage – 10 heads (unless you eat sauerkraut, in which case 30 – 50 heads)
Carrots – 16 – 24 quarts (2 – 3 pecks)
Cauliflower – 6 – 10 heads
Celeriac – 4 quarts (1/2 peck)
Celery – 12 stalks
Chinese Cabbage – 10 heads
Corn – 16 quarts (2 pecks, 1/2 bushel)
Cucumbers – 1 bushel (for pickling)
Eggplant – 8 quarts (1 peck)
Endive – 10 plants
Garlic – 2 pounds
Kale – 15 – 25 foot row
Kohlrabi – 4 quarts (1/2 peck
Leeks – 8 – 12 plants
Onions – 8 – 16 quarts (1 – 2 pecks)
Parsnips – 8 – 16 quarts (1 – 2 pecks)
Peas – 16 quarts (2 pecks, 1/2 bushel)
Potatoes – 3 bushels (12 pecks, 96 quarts)
Pumpkins – 5 – 8 pie pumpkins
Radishes – 8 quarts (1 peck)
Rutabagas – 8 quarts (1 peck)
Salsify – 4 quarts (1/2 peck)
Soybeans – 1 peck
Squashes, Winter – 8 – 12 medium sized
Sunchokes – 8 quarts (1 peck)
Sweet Potatoes – 16 quarts (2 pecks, 1/2 bushel)
Tomatoes – 2 bushels (for sauces, soups, canning)
Turnips – 4 quarts (1 peck)
Wheat – whole, unground kernels – 1 bushel (if you do lots of baking)
Apples – 32 quarts (4 pecks, 1 bushel) – more if you plan to make jellies, applesauce, apple butter…
Blueberries – 8 quarts (1 peck)
Cantaloupe – 8-20
Crabapples – 4 quarts (1/2 peck)
Grapes – 16 quarts (2 pecks, 1/2 bushel) – more if you plan to make jelly
Grapefruit – 4 quarts (1/2 peck)
Lemons – 8 quarts (1 peck)
Oranges – 16 quarts (2 pecks)
Pawpaws – 1 bushel
Peaches – 1 bushel
Pears – 1 bushel
Persimmons – 1 bushel
Plums – 1 bushel
Quince – 1 bushel
Strawberries – 1 bushel
Watermelon – 6-10
On the fruits, if you plan to freeze them, make jams, jellies, pie fillings, cake additives, or to dry them, you will need more. Few fruits keep more than a few weeks, so must be eaten fresh or preserved in some way.
This gives you an idea of how much to buy at the farmer’s market, or how much to grow. The greater the variety of foods you eat, the less of each one you’ll need. The fewer varieties you eat, naturally the more of each you’ll need.
