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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steampunkette" data-source="post: 8438872" data-attributes="member: 6796468">Here's another fun thing: Wheat wasn't the primary crop for Bread in the world for most of history.Barley was. Barley is what they were growing in Mesopotamia when the whole Agriculture thing became a big deal.Barley has a 2 month turnaround. And an approximate yield of 60 bushels per acre for a decent growing climate. A Bushel is 48 pounds. One acre provides 2,880lbs of barley in a decent grow, 40 bushels in a bad harvest (1,920lbs). In a particularly nice growing climate 80+ bushels is a good harvest. 3,840lbs/acre.10 ounces makes a loaf of barley bread. There's 16 in a pound. So for a good harvest that's 61,440 ounces of barley or 6,144 loaves of bread for that 2 month period. A Family of 4 CANNOT EAT that much bread in that period of time. If each of them gets a loaf a day to themselves that's still 5,904 loaves just... sitting there.  (4,608 loaves in a decent harvest, 3,072 from a bad harvest)Which is why some of that Acre isn't Barley. Instead it's got a nice chicken coop for eggs. A few goats for milk. And guess what they're eating...? If you guessed "Barley" you're right! Take some more of that Barley space out to throw in lettuce, cucumbers, beans, maybe a couple of Date Trees... turnips, perhaps?Yeah... 1 Acre is more than enough to sustain a family of 4, depending on their diet, growing season, soil quantity, and water availability...(Especially if you mix some of that excess barley with hops, some honey, and a fermentation period)</blockquote>

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