Martinmas

What a busy time we have had these days from All Saints' to Martinmas! First there was the slaughter of so many of the beasts before winter. Then there was the salting down of the some meat and the smoking of the rest.

Everyone in the village has a good supply of bacon hanging from the roof beams, I can tell you. And then there were the sausages and blood puddings! Much hard work but we will have a plenteous Martinmas feast because of it. Foods made from garbage will not last and must be eaten up as soon as it can be. To eat and drink until we are ready to burst and enjoy ourselves with dancing, singing and games--what could be a better reward for our labours at harvest!

We have brought two cows and a horse into the byre now for the winter . They will keep it nice and warm inside and give us milk besides. It is hard cleaning the straw and manure out and stacking it in the yard, but Gilbert is a strong lad and has learned what needs to be done and why. He knows the manure will feed the crops in the spring.

Martinmas is almost as good as Carnival, but not so much. That's because we won't be fasting as much as we do in Lent - only three days a week.

Feeding the Livestock

After the harvest, the pigs would have been driven into the woods to fatten up on acorns. Most livestock would be slaughtered in November because there would not be enough food to feed them over the winter.