Pickering has long been a place to pick a peck of apples. A 1976 history of Pickering notes: The Carmichael apple orchard (500 trees_ was west of Pickering, about four miles, and was planted in 1910 by Riley “Rile” Carmichael. But a hard freeze in 1941 put it out of business, as all the trees were killed. James Alexander and James L. Neal also had an 80-acre orchard, and John Carmichael had a 15-acre orchard. This image is colorized from a 1910 Magic Lantern slide.
- I went to Pickering to pick a peck—came home with a peck of stories and only two usable shirts.
- Picking a peck at Pickering: the cardio you don’t regret until you try to carry the peck.
- At Pickering we measure success in pecks and pie potential.
- I asked for a peck, but the tree misunderstood and handed me a peck-ish attitude.
- Pickering’s motto: “A peck a day keeps the boring snacks away.”
- I tried to pick a peck fast—turns out apples don’t appreciate speed dating.
- You know you’ve picked a peck at Pickering when your pockets are juicier than your lunch.
- They say pick a peck, not pick a peck-et—apparently my jeans missed the memo.
- Pickering: where apples are abundant and my willpower is pecked away.
- I told the farmer I wanted a peck; he said, “Do you want it pre-sung or post-pie?”
- Picking a peck at Pickering doubles as a family bonding exercise and a shredding workout for your sweater.
- Bought a peck at Pickering; now I have enough apples to start a cider startup—or a very committed pie club.
- The local scale at Pickering said “peck” so I took it personally.
- If you pick a peck at Pickering, congratulations — you’re officially invested in fall.
- I asked if Picking Apples was named after Pickering — they said no, but the town does keep a very thorough pick-ing list.
- Maybe Pickering named the orchard — or the orchard named the town; either way, someone’s ancestor got tired of saying “you pick it.”
- If Pickering started the apple business, their slogan must’ve been: “We put the ‘pick’ in Pickering.”
- I tried tracing the name — turns out both were founded by someone with commitment issues: couldn’t decide between ‘pick’ and ‘ring.’
- People think Pickering inspired Picking Apples. I think the apples just wanted better PR.
- If the town named the orchard, the town council meeting probably went: “Voting’s closed. Next: branding.”
- Maybe Pickering is where apples go to get their surnames. “Hello, I’m Honeycrisp Pickering.”
- Locals say the names are related — historians say coincidence — the apples just say “pass the pie.”
- Pickering: where even the street signs smell like cinnamon and coincidence.
- I asked a local if the names were linked; she said, “Of course — we like things that rhyme and bake.”
- The real proof? If Picking Apples offers a town discount, we’ve got a family reunion.
- Either Pickering inspired the orchard, or the orchard inspired the town — either way, someone gets credit on the pie recipe.
Note About Peck of Apples
A peck of apples typically weighs 10–12 pounds. Depending on the size of the fruit, this translates to approximately 30–35 medium-sized apples. A peck is equal to one-quarter of a bushel and is generally sufficient to make about 3–4 nine-inch apple pies.
- Weight: 10–12 pounds (4.5–5.4 kg).
- Count: Roughly 30–35 medium apples.
- Volume: 8 dry quarts or 1/4 of a bushel.
- Usage: Makes about 7–9 pints of applesauce.
For context, a half-peck is about 5–6 pounds, and a quarter-peck is roughly 2.5–3 pounds
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