Who doesn't love a good biscuit? They are the staple of any good tea time, snack, trip to your grandparent's house, and yet, did you know that your delicious digestives may be rooted (quite literally) in a field near you?
Biscuits can be made from all sorts of grains, but the most common produced by British farmers are 'soft wheat' and 'oats'. The images show the crops you need to look out for if you are hoping to catch a glimpse of your biscuit's beginnings!
Depending on the crop variety, they are usually planted or 'drilled' in the autumn, after which point they germinate typically within 14 days to produce green shoots- this tends to create a green carpet effect. At this point the crop is at its most delicate stage and it takes a lot of care and nurturing to protect it through winter and the wet months of spring. Come summer time, the crops are harvested with a combine harvester, before being stored, shipped, milled into flour and sent off to be made into lovely biscuity treats.
So, while a field may seem a far cry from the squashy sofas of a tea-time snack, next time you admire the enticing selection in the biscuit aisle, think back to the grains of wheat and oats being nurtured by farmers like me.
Comments