Meet the Middle Ages
BackSingle farms
Tending live-stock was important in the woods. People paid their taxes in meat, butter and cheese. The wood of the forests was necessary for charcoal-burning and tar-making. In some regions, iron was produced. Timber, building material and firewood came from the woods. One could also hunt wild animals in the forests.
Peasants on single farms normally produced everything that they needed. If they lived far from town, they must have been very excited when they came there to go to the market. The peasants sold skins, wood, timber, butter, charcoal, tar or iron. When they returned, they had a lot of news to tell and they brought exotic foreign goods. When the peasants went to church, they could meet their friends and relatives, and the children could meet their playmates.