What did peasants do in February?

What did peasants do in February?

February: Ploughing is started. The ground is cold and muddy. March: Ploughing is finished. Weeding is done.

What crops did serfs plant in the spring?

The three-field system of crop rotation was employed by medieval farmers, with spring as well as autumn sowings. Wheat or rye was planted in one field, and oats, barley, peas, lentils or broad beans were planted in the second field.

What did peasants do in October?

In October, the planting season began and farmers sowed their fields with seeds. The biggest crops were wheat and barley, which were used to make bread and beer. Peasants worked in pairs to sow the fields. The farmer softened the earth with a plow pulled by cattle.

How did serfs farm?

Serfs used a long scythe to cut the tall grass. Then they let it dry to make hay, which had many uses including stuffing for their mattresses. In the fall, the serfs harvested their crops of rye, oats, peas, and barley. If the weather had been good, the harvest would be good.

What did peasants do in July?

Haymaking – in the summer months the peasant would be collecting hay. This field was enclosed by a fence to protect it from the farm animals. Harvesting – using sickles, a man and a woman are cutting handfuls of wheat. Threshing – in another small enclosure, the peasants are separating the grain from the chaff.

When was harvest season in the Middle Ages?

Harvesting. There were two harvests during the Medieval farming year. The first was the hay harvest during June. However the main, and busiest, event of the farming calendar was the wheat harvest that took place at the end of the summer during August and September.

What did peasants do in summer?

What was a serf in the Middle Ages?

Serfs were the poorest of the peasant class, and were a type of slave. Lords owned the serfs who lived on their lands. In exchange for a place to live, serfs worked the land to grow crops for themselves and their lord. In addition, serfs were expected to work the farms for the lord and pay rent.

What did a serf eat?

Their diet basically consisted of bread, porridge, vegetables and some meat. Common crops included wheat, beans, barley, peas and oats. Near their homes, peasants had little gardens that contained lettuce, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, beets and other vegetables.

What did peasants do on Sundays?

For peasants, Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest, although harvest or other jobs could encroach on this time. In the same way other holy days or market days could also be holidays. It is estimated that medieval peasants had around 200–240 working days a year, that is, close to those of modern people.