In Sweden, many of us start the day with some yoghurt or fil for breakfast. The yoghurt and fil we eat nowadays is not the traditional homemade soured milk we ate before industrialization, but the products are closely related. Yoghurt as a product has only been produced in dairies in Sweden. In the time before… Continue reading Filmjölk – The Swedish Yoghurt
Cradur
Networking for Draft Animals and Rare Breeds
We often mention the networks of members and friends that come together in the AIMA, many times in our past congresses, regularly by contributing to the newsletters and blog posts, or by giving advice to help us and…. our networking partners. This often makes for a feeling of a very small world, as well as… Continue reading Networking for Draft Animals and Rare Breeds
A horseman talks about his donkeys
From Luxemburg, Pit Schlechter sent a note about his two donkeys. “They are Zamorano-Leones, a Spanish breed that is indeed related to the Poitou donkeys (although the Poitou breeders avoid talking about it, even if they sometimes go and get stallions from there). It took me a very long time to learn how to communicate,… Continue reading A horseman talks about his donkeys
Astrid Masson’s Handbook on Harnessing Cattle
– especially based on experience in open-air museums. Astrid uses cows and their calves in her work at the Dahlem Open Air Museum in Berlin, perhaps one of the world’s only urban museums of its kind and it is indeed “open” – the public can walk through the entire farmland section without paying any entry… Continue reading Astrid Masson’s Handbook on Harnessing Cattle
When work is fun and learning at Howell Living History Farm
It’s winter, so take the time out to visit and help with the ice harvest, tap the maple trees to make maple sugar and take a sleigh ride or attend the Sugar Moon Dance (in March). Later in the year, you can “walk” the corn maze. Looking for experience with working animals? Then apply for… Continue reading When work is fun and learning at Howell Living History Farm
Sourdough or “sourfaux” Bread
Bread in a Healthy Food System The Real Bread Campaign is a part of the SUSTAIN alliance of organisations and communities working together for a better system of food, farming and fishing. SUSTAIN advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living… Continue reading Sourdough or “sourfaux” Bread
The Blessing of Bread in Latvia
By Indra Cekstere. My interest in traditional Latvian bread-baking is rooted in my childhood, because my mother and grandmother on my father’s side both baked rye bread at home. At that time (in the mid-20th century) this was common in all of Latvia. As a child I was allowed to watch everything and to make… Continue reading The Blessing of Bread in Latvia
Rye bread is THE heritage bread in Estonia and here’s why
In the Estonian language, we usually translate the English word “bread” as “leib”. What we mean by “leib” is a loaf made primarily using rye flour. It might be whole-grain or refined, the loaves might have seeds or herbs, meat or nuts added. It might be made using traditional sourdough or yeast (like most breads… Continue reading Rye bread is THE heritage bread in Estonia and here’s why
Museum Education Fighting Food Waste in Estonia
The Estonian Rural Museums Foundation offers various educational programmes on the past, present, and future of agriculture and food. Learning about our national rye bread, potatoes, vegetables, poultry and eggs, bees and honey are just a few of the topics. This fall a new programme on the food cycle was introduced, targeting students from middle… Continue reading Museum Education Fighting Food Waste in Estonia
The industrialisation of butter production in the second half of the 19th century
– spontaneous skimming and skimmed milk machines. [AIMA member Fabien Knittel has proposed a brief article as a follow-up to publication of his books Agronomie et techniques laitières, Le cas des fruitières de l’Arc jurassien, 1790-1914 (Agronomy and dairy techniques, traditional mountain cheese-making in the Jura) and La Fabrique du lait. Europe occidentale (Moyen Âge-XXe… Continue reading The industrialisation of butter production in the second half of the 19th century
Cervoise (Barley Beer) – an Experimental Drink
at Malagne, Archéoparc de Rochefort (Rochefort ArcheoPark), Belgium. By Florence Garit, Scientific Collaborator, Malagne. The first-century CE Gallo-Roman villa located in Belgium on the site of Malagne, the Rochefort ArcheoPark, takes its visitors on a journey back in time (1). In addition to the visible remnants of two residential buildings, the domain also has reconstituted… Continue reading Cervoise (Barley Beer) – an Experimental Drink
Home-built agricultural machines in Estonia during the Soviet era (1945-1991)
by Monika Levkin, researcher at the Estonian Agricultural Museum. EPM TAe 94 This tractor was built by Kaino Kriit in the early 1990s. Kaino worked as a tractor driver himself, he could also weld, and as a technically talented man began trying to build a garden tractor. The frame and axles were acquired at minimal… Continue reading Home-built agricultural machines in Estonia during the Soviet era (1945-1991)
Food Culture on Matkult.se
How the Institute for Language and Folklore brings Swedish cultural heritage to the digital audience. Åsa Holmgren & Marlene Hugoson, Institute of Language and Folklore (ISOF), Sweden. In the ISOF archives, extensive knowledge on traditional food culture has been and still is being collected. The themes extend from agriculture and fishing to the diet, food… Continue reading Food Culture on Matkult.se
Agricultural Engineering with Irish Roots
Until the second half of the 19th century, agriculture in Ireland was barely mechanised. As a result, the increase in yields associated with this process was unable to remedy the catastrophe of the Great Famine. It was only when the rural population was bled dry by starvation and emigration that the mechanisation of agriculture was… Continue reading Agricultural Engineering with Irish Roots
Agricultural Museums: Essential Respondents to a Global Challenge
AIMA Secretary General’s Message by Debra A. Reid Agricultural museums are well positioned to draw attention to a current threat to survival – Global Warming. These museums actually span the spectrum from helping the public understand how agriculture can support life and how agriculture can threaten it. The cultivation of crops such as cotton, linen,… Continue reading Agricultural Museums: Essential Respondents to a Global Challenge