Learnings: Anglo-Scandinavian Farming

Three farmers and their beasts working in the field / 9th cent.

A growing population meant a growing need for prime materials; crops and livestock that could be used for food, clothing, trade, and taxes.

Scandinavian settlers likely grew four types of cereals: wheat (whose flour made coarse bread), barley (for brewing beer), rye, and oats, to feed both humans and animals. They also grew legumes and herbs like dill and coriander for spicing and seasoning. They cultivated flax and hemp to make textiles for clothing and trading.

The Scandinavians' use of livestock was not much different from that of the Anglo-Saxons. For both groups, cattle provided milk and meat and oxen were used to plough fields, as seen in this manuscript illustration.