In the early and high Middle Ages, agriculture was aiming for variety in
crops, and not specialization. The primary goal was to feed oneself and
the lord. Of course, the surplus could be sold, but in general, a
production primarily aimed at selling agricultural goods would not evolve
until the 1400s. Farms generally cultivated a combination of wheat,
vegetables, animal husbandry, fruit trees, vinification, fishing, and
hunting. Bread and wine (or beer in the northern regions) were the main
staple crops.
Between c. 900-1150, a series of agricultural innovations took place, such
as the change from a two-field system of crop rotation to a three-field
system. At the same time, the heavy plow replaced the lighter "scratch
plow", allowing more efficiency in farming large pieces of land and
increasing the areal of cultivated land throughout Europe. A greater
variety of crops was planted; the main staple crop now became legumes
(beans) instead of grains (barley and wheat).
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