Productive farm tasks: growing and harvesting cereals (Spain)

Until the 1970s the majority of the population still lived in villages and all the neighbours still helped with harvesting around 1960.

Antonio Martínez, born in la Maluenga 1930, describes harvesting rye : “in those days reaping was still by hand, the bundles were carried to the threshing area on what we called the “tascos” shawl, spread over the bottom of the cart so as not to lose a single grain on the way. Once there, they were put in large circular piles called “medas”, which were pulled apart at the right moment to separate grain and hay”.