EMMER T. dicoccum

Emmer wheat is a wild species of wheat officially known as T. dicoccum
A low yielding, tall (2m) awned wheat with small grains and originating from a mutation with no husk. Closely related to the modern durum wheat used for pasta, Emmer dates from approximately 7000 BC. This wheat along with barley, has been found on sites, including the Pyramids, all over the near east and Europe from the earliest times. In fact Emmer wheat was the staple cereal of prehistory, the real reason why early agriculture actually worked. Even today it is grown in remote areas of Turkey and Syria.

Einkorn Triticum monococcum L.

Einkorn is said to have been widely cultivated in Neolithic times and, by the Iron Age, Bread Wheat T. aestivum was sustaining populations in much of Europe. A sub species, Club wheat T. compactum, was notably grown by Neolithic farmers in Swiss lake side villages. Identification of the types of crops grown in the Iron Age comes from 3 sources of evidence; carbonised seed, pollen grains and impressions of seed fired into pottery. In proportion related to the climate of the site; Einkorn is more resistant to cold, heat, drought, fungoid diseases and bird predation, although its yield is lower than those of emmer, spelt and naked wheat

Spelt. Triticum spelta

Similar to Emmer but with a tough husk that cannot be removed. Spelt was probably first sown and harvested in the Bronze Age. Spelt has an appalling yield (by weight, not volume) and even when threshed is mostly husk, consequently it is not surprising that Bronze Age man had very worn teeth. Along with Emmer wheat, Spelt was grown extensively in Britain during the late Iron Age and the Roman period. Its modern use is for specialist bread and breakfast cereals

Oats Avena sativa

Highest in protein, lowest in carbohydrates, and rivals wheat as the most nutritious of the cereal grains. Easily threshed for the grain, avoiding the very difficult processing of hulled varieties. Likes more water than other grains and does well on any fairly fertile soil. Holds up well in climates with moderate frosts. Abundant straw makes a good compost crop.

Barley Hordeum vulgare

Ancient Biblical, Egyptian, and Tibetan crop. Has more protein than corn, but less than wheat. A forgiving grain for the gardener - it is hardy to extreme weather, and can do well in poor soil. Easily threshed and very nutritious. Has a short growing season - it can produce more nutrients per day of in-ground growing time than most others. This delicious whole grain makes a fine flour, porridge, or toasted meal, and more importantly it 'malts' well and can be used for making beer!

Rye Secale cereale

Origin: Iraq, Turkey, Europe
Rye is more tolerant of soil acidity than wheat or oats. Can be grown as pasture or grain.

Woad Isatitis Tinctoria

Woad (or glastum) is the common name of the flowering plant Isatis tinctoria in the family Brassicaceae. It is occasionally known as Asp of Jerusalem. Woad is also the name of a blue dye produced from the plant. Woad is pronounced to rhyme with road.

Woad is native to the steppe and desert zones of the Caucasus, Central Asia to eastern Siberia and Western Asia (Hegi), but is now found in southeastern and some parts of Central Europe as well. It has been cultivated throughout Europe, especially in Western and southern Europe since ancient times.

Peas Pisum elatius

Today's cultivated peas probably originate from a wild type which is found from the mediterranean to Tibet. This wild pea (Pisum elatius) has tough pods when immature which split open on maturity, and small black seeds, only 3-5 mm in diameter. First the field pea arose from the wild pea by mutation, and from this arose the white-flowered Garden pea. Peas were probably already used as cultivated plants around 4000 BC in Near Asia. Directed selection in the choice of seeds led to a continual increase in size of the fruit and seed. Garden peas are divided into green peas (round smooth seeds) and marrowfats (seeds with wrinkled skins). Marrowfats with high amylose content are grown for starch production.

Wild Carrot Daucus carota

A Carrot (Daucus carota) is a root vegetable, usually orange or white in color with a woody texture. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot. It is a biennial plant which grows a rosette of leaves in the spring and summer while building up the stout taproot, which stores large amounts of sugars for the plant to flower in the second year. The flowering stem grows to about 1 m tall, with umbels of white flowers.

This plant is also commonly called Queen Anne’s Lace (Qal) when in flower

Fathen Chenopodium album

Growing mainly in spring and summer, this erect weed can grow up to 2m tall. It is known as a very competitive weed due to its ability to remove moisture from the soil even in dry conditions. The grey-green leaves are up to 7cm long, sword shaped and have margins that appear toothed. Main stems and laterals often have green, yellowish or sometimes reddish ribs and can become quite hardy. Fathen normally forms very small green flowers between December and May that develop into a tight cluster of seeds up to 30cm long. Seeds remain viable in the soil for long periods of time.

It is very palatable and nutritious.

Hazelnut Corylus avellana

A deciduous shrub or small tree - this British Native is frequently coppiced and used for hedges. Keep as a bush or grow into a tree. Will produce a crop of nuts within a couple of seasons of planting. Growing to a meximum height of around 6 metre. Supplied at approx 150cms tall.

Nettles Urtica species, Laportea canadensis

These annual or perennial native and European herbaceous plants are distinctive for many reasons, as you'd quickly discover if you ever encountered them wearing shorts. Nettles are covered with tiny, nearly invisible stinging hairs that produce an intense, stinging pain, followed redness and skin irritation. The generic name comes from the Latin word, "uro," which means "I burn." Nevertheless, they're superb, non-stinging, cooked vegetables.
Nettles usually appear in the same places year after year. Look for them in rich soil, disturbed habitats, moist woodlands, thickets, along rivers, and along partially shaded trails.
Cook by boiling or frying, they are very nutritious, high in iron.

Vetch Vicia sativa

Common Vetch, also known as Tare, is a nitrogen fixing leguminous plant. Although considered a weed when found growing in a cultivated grainfield, this hardy plant is often grown as green manure or livestock fodder.
Common Vetch has also been part of the human diet as attested by carbonised remains found at early Neolithic sites in Syria, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. It has also ben reported from predynastic sites of ancient Egypt, and several Bronze age sites in Turkmenia and Slovakia. However, definite evidence for later vetch cultivation are available only for Roman times

Flax Linum usitatissimum

Flax (also known as Common Flax or Linseed) is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. Flax is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. It was extensively cultivated in ancient Egypt.

It is an erect annual plant growing to 120 cm tall, with slender stems. The leaves are glaucous green, slender lanceolate, 2-4 cm long and 3 mm broad. The flowers are pure pale blue, 1.5-2.5 cm diameter, with five petals. The fruit is a round, dry capsule 5-9 mm diameter, containing several glossy brown seeds shaped like an apple pip, 4-7 mm long.

In addition to the plant itself, flax may refer to the unspun fibres of the flax plant.
The spun fibre is woven to become linen.