June

Harvest of grains - wheat, barley, oats and peas and peasants working in common. Most families would have worked between 12 and 15 acres.  Some cottagers and very poor people managed to survive on less than five acres.  Wheat was the primary staple for humans.  Barley was grown in order to make ale.  Few people drank water because of the likelihood of contracting cholera. Milk was used to make cheese and other dairy products. Cattle were fed oats.  Peas were rotated into fields to build them back up and could be eaten by both cattle and humans.  Fish were an important part of the diet as well as chickens for eggs and meat. 

  

The Cuckoo Song 

An 13th century English verse about summer work.

Sumer is icumen in, Lhude sing cuccu! Groweth sed, and bloweth med, And springeth the wude nu-- Sing cuccu! Awe bleteth afer lomb, Lhouth after calve cu; Bulluc sterteth, bucke verteth Murie sing cuccu! Cuccu, cuccu, well singes thu, cuccu: Ne swike thu naver nu; Sing cuccu, nu, sing cuccu, Sing cuccu, sing cuccu, nu!

Summer is arriving, Loudly sing cuckoo! Seeds are growing, meadows are blowing, And woods renewing-- Sing cuckoo! Ewes bleat after lambs, Cows low for calves; Bullocks are shying, bucks are leaping, Merrily sing cuckoo! Cuckoo, cuckoo,; well may you sing cuckoo: You should never stop singing cuckoo!