Southern Poland being rural, hay is an essential part of life here. Many of my students come back with an enviable tan because they spent much of the summer working out in the fields, and a significant portion of that cutting, drying, and putting away the hay.

Poles don't bale their hay as farmers in the States do. Instead, it's simply arranged on ladder-like frames or, as seen at right, straight posts with several cross-posts stuck through it (fields of hay dried like this give the appearance of a whole flock of Cousin Its).

Making Hay

The hay is first raked up

and sometimes left in piles to dry a bit

then hung up for final drying.

There's also quite a bit of wheat grown in the area, though for what, I'm not sure.

Some of it obviously gets quite high.