Harvest time is the key point in any arable farmer’s calendar. The point when all the hard work that’s gone into planting and tending to crops comes to fruition and there are no guarantees whether the yield will be good or bad. One of the more frustrating elements of harvest time is the lack of control farmers have over the whole process. We’re very much at the mercy of the elements when it comes to the right time to bring in our crops.

However, there’s something really special about this time of year. Seeing the combine harvesters pacing the fields, sometimes late into the night if conditions are right, is always inspiring but there is something rather more intangible than that too – the countryside somehow just feels different during harvest. With this year’s harvest almost finished, we thought we’d momentarily divert ourselves with a look into the facts, figures and traditions associated with this pivotal point in the farming calendar…

1. The word harvest comes from the Old English haerfest, meaning Autumn.
2. Depending on conditions, harvest time can take place as early as July, all the way through to September (and occasionally October for us, with our farm situated on higher ground on the Wolds and due to us growing our annual bean crops!).
3. The combine harvester was invented in the US by Hiram Moore in 1834. Earlier versions were pulled by teams of horses, donkeys or mules. Moore invented a full-scale version by 1839.
4. The name of the combine harvester was derived from it combining three separate operations involved in harvesting – reaping, threshing and winnowing, into a single process.
5. Corn dollies are one of the customs of early harvest time. In pagan times, people believed that the spirit of the corn lived in the crop so when the crop was harvested, the spirit was left homeless. So, the last sheaf of the harvest was made into a “corn dolly”, which spent the winter in the farmer’s home and was believed to bring luck for the next harvest.
6. Demeter is the Greek goddess of harvest and agriculture. Her Roman equivalent is Ceres (perhaps where the word “cereal” comes from?).
7. In 2015, 16.4 million tonnes of wheat was produced in the UK and 6.7 million tonnes of barley.
8. In the UK, Harvest Festival is traditionally held on the Sunday nearest the harvest moon, the full moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox (on the 22^nd or 23^rd September).
9. We may think of harvest time as being all about bringing in the grain crop but there are many different harvest celebrations around the world, giving thanks for foods ranging from rice, fish, fruit and olives.
10. Lowance time (probably derived from the word ”allowance”) occurred mid-morning and mid-afternoon when the foreman’s wife would bring refreshments for the workers. Our father, Rob, remembers enjoying tea with apple pie and cheese, or bacon “ceak” (bacon wrapped in pastry). We’re not sure whether this is just a Yorkshire term or not, so please let us know if you’ve heard it anywhere else!

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/harvest-festivals/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demeter

http://www.countryfile.com/explore-countryside/history/five-british-harvest-traditions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combine_harvester

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/466383/farming-statistics-2015-wheat-and-barley-production-uk.pdf