Reasons for creating a TV series about life on a farm 400 years ago When asked to supervise and produce a 12-part BBC series of five responses to work on a Welsh Hill farm as in the 17th century That was my first question. I have to admit that I was quite skeptical about the idea. Not only did it mean that my family was uprooted and moved to Wales for a year, but more than that, it might turn into another low-grade reality show where historical concepts are driven to the backseat. I was worried.
There were many programs in which the average family and group of people were wrapped in obsolete clothing, cut out modern luxury goods and facilities and dropped into the alien environment-the past. Occasionally, they have insight, but most of their time is personal, & # 39; Athletes & # 39; and above all sensational. I wanted to make something very different-it was a beautiful series to see, and most important.
Rather than using only roadside people, the team of farmers of the era wanted to become experts and experts in different fields. The purpose was to take and apply the knowledge they learned and turn theory into practice. So we gathered experts-Stuart Peachy, an agricultural and food historian, Ruth Goodman, a social history and clothing specialist, Alex, a young, powerful and practical archaeologist. By working with Langlands and Peter Fonts Gin, an archaeologist, Chloe Spencer. Shooting began in September, the beginning of the agricultural calendar, and 12 months of agriculture were on the horizon.
But what do you shoot? Agricultural activity schedules are almost predetermined, so they answered this question for most of the year. Farmers' annual, monthly, and daily tasks that are close enough are set with virtually stones determined by the weather, soil, and basic life cycle. From the beginning, this was one of the most important lessons that came back to our experts. Of course, there was room to choose what to do and when. As in January in midwinter, months are relatively quiet and there are no urgent tasks to tackle. During these times, farmers are welcomed to catch up and repair and repair before the spring onslaught. For the rest of the time, big events are arranged like a series of milestones. From farming and sowing in September, harvesting fruits in October, cutting sheep in June, and making hay while the July sun shines.
When planning the filming schedule, the main agricultural work was quite obvious, but one area that was not specifically considered from the perspective of agricultural activities was construction. In fact, many architectural projects were launched during the year, from the establishment of a hut [wood shop] to the replacement of a private house damaged by the February storm. One of the first major tasks that professionals had to deal with was to install a barn using only the tools, techniques and materials available in 1620. To summarize the situation, this was when the pilgrims set sail, and James I sat on the throne just decades before the civil war ripped England.
I was really happy to see the barn rising slowly but surely from the ground. First Alex and Fonts got a grip on a wicker wall made of wooden sticks suffocated with a mixture of cow dung, clay, and straw. Then the whole team started working on the roof, from cutting the beams to laying that roof. It was probably the first time that I fully understood the deep and diverse qualities of the farmers at that time. Yes, he may sometimes call outside craftsmen and answers, but these are expensive and not just phone calls. It was important to be able to do things on your own. He had to be the jack of all trades who were witty, ingenious, and above all, who could reach almost any practical job.
Not only that, farmers needed to immerse themselves in the local environment. Today, most of us travel the countryside just praising the beauty and charm of the countryside, but the farmers of the time saw it through very different glasses. For him, the surrounding landscape was like a huge ladder and toolbox full of precious resources with unique qualities and uses, from various woods to plants with medical properties. From father to son, such a unique & # 39; bushcraft & # 39; knowledge was communicated and learned-what is useful, how to be managed, and when it should be collected .
I remember when Alex worked on the barn roof. He excavated a similar building from that time, but only when he processed the material, inserted a twisted hazel rod into the roof beam and created that mesh, The potential was gradually evaluated -kit.
In the 17th century, wood was a very important resource. Because it was used to this extent from charcoal production to shipbuilding, it is thought that the amount of wood cover in the UK was half that of the current UK. Faced with this appetite, the timber itself is cultivated, most farms of all sizes have their own thicket, and the area of the forest is managed with great care. When harvesting timber, it was like walking through a huge DIY store, ready and easily labeled if you know what you are looking at. A variety of tree species of different sizes, from young seedlings to giant oaks, grew to provide rods and beams of varying thickness and length. Whatever kind of wood was needed, such as pegs, table construction, roofing replacement, etc., they were all on hand. It was an area of agriculture that I hadn't even thought about before I started the series.
Needless to say, the ultimate reason for the farm is food. 400 years ago, because there was no electricity, people had to find other ways to preserve food as much as possible without refrigeration. Of course, it is still done in the traditional way today, but it is not necessary in many places. This is because the hardening process is added to the taste-Parma ham is a hung, smoked kipper, or vegetable pickled vinegar. But tasting your favorite salami is not the same thing as actually checking how it was made.
From the moment you killed one of the farm pigs, the food clock was ticking. First it was necessary to drain and use the blood, and then the internal organs had to be consumed. Only then could he pay attention to the remaining pigs. It was generally said that the only part of pigs that are not eaten is squeaks. Certainly it was not wasted. The creaking of food at that time was an unprecedented luxury. However, it is not a simple and easy task to handle the whole animal from start to finish, especially for those who slice bacon quickly and wrap in a clinging film. It takes time, but in many ways is a fun and festive job. It remains in many countries and the whole family is gathered to kill and process their beasts. That is really all the hands of the pump. Removing bristles from pork Arthur, a wild boar-Tamworth hybrid, was closest to the breed at the time, but was a big job. These pigs are incredibly obedient and friendly, but they live in the woods for quite some time because they are incredibly hairy when needed.
Today, most of our bald pig's thin hair is boiled in large bats, but at that time farmers introduced another technique-pig pig fire. They couldn't burn it too long or it would start cooking the corpse, but it had to be just enough to cut off the hair. After depilation, the soot had to be washed off. After that, the skin was thoroughly cleaned and a sufficient amount of salt was applied and cured. In our modern world where processed foods are everywhere, pods take a step back, remember where the food really came from, and appreciate the tremendous time needed to get things ready to eat by hand Sift the peas with chicken and wheat.
The pudding proof is in the diet, and Arthur's pork chop is probably the most juicy and delicious I've ever tried. Another highlight in terms of food was apples. Recently, when you check the fruit market in a supermarket, you may come across six varieties that are bred to look beautiful and last longer. Our reconstructed 400-year-old farm orchard had a lot of apples I've heard of but never seen, from Cornish Aromatics to Cooking Costers. The autumn gluttony couldn't be consumed at once, so it was stored in a cool and airy place in the farmhouse's 2nd floor “Apple Loft”. They had to turn on regularly and check for anything that went wrong, but the majority survived crisply for 6 months-good until winter is spring The source of vitamins. Apples bought at stores seem to often disappear in the last few weeks, but eating apples in March was a shock to me even without the refrigerator that I chose last September.
Standing behind the camera, it was fascinating to see professionals adapt very easily to very different life paces and immerse themselves in work that has not been seen in the UK for centuries. Throughout the year, many traditional craftsmen joined and brought more skills. Many of them are disappearing in this country. Until a professional candle maker came to help the team, I never thought that most of the candles on the farm at that time were made from sheep's fat. From a lightweight one like a straw, thatcher master was used to turn a 400-year-old straw rope and turn it before it arrives in the set You wouldn't believe you could make a strong rope. Until the charcoal burner helped the team, I couldn't guess how slow and complicated the process of turning wood into as important as charcoal.
It's easy to look back at the countryside of the countryside with rosy glasses. In our busy, eternally switched life, it is easy, dreaming of a slower, more realistic lifestyle. It's too easy to forget about terrible illness, short life, physical fatigue of physical labor, despair and hunger when the farm is in trouble.
Making this documentary series was a long learning curve for me. & # 39; No more illusions about how much better in the good old days & # 39 ;. I love the idea of drinking only up to 8 pints a day because most people don't have access to clean water and fermented beer is safe to drink. I am daydreaming about the almost spiritual satisfaction that comes from working in the fields all day long and finding a hearty dinner at the table. However, I have seen Ruth and Chloe doing 17th-century style washing to create their own ash. You don't want to remove the stubborn dirt from the ash in the fire with urine, then hit the lottery on the rock in the creek, turn the clock back and give up the washing machine.
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