Grain Harvest

In biblical times, wheat and barley were the most important crops in Israel. The spring and early summer were the time of harvest. The barley was the first to ripen, already in April. The wheat followed a few weeks later, in June.

The grains of corn were in ears at the end of long stalks. During harvesting, the stalks were cut off with a sickle, a curved metal knife. The farmer took hold of a bunch of stalks with one hand and cut them off with the other hand. In practice the stalks were more pulled out than cut off.
The cut-off stalks were made into a bundle, a sheaf of corn. A sheaf was easier to pick up than loose stalks. The sheaves were placed together in an upright position, so that the ears did not lie on the ground. If they lay on the ground the grains of corn would become damp, and rot.

After harvesting, the sheaves of corn were brought to the threshing floor. On the way, some stalks with ears of corn would always fall to the ground. According to Israelite law, poor people, such as widows, were permitted to gather up the stalks and take them away (Leviticus 19:10; Leviticus 23:22). This was called “gleaning”.
The widow Ruth was allowed to glean ears of corn on Boaz’s land, in the vicinity of Bethlehem.

In threshing, the corns of grain were separated from the ears. This was done with a threshing sled, or by having animals trample the grain. 
The threshing sled was a broad wooden plank that was drawn over the ears of corn by an ox. The peasant himself would often sit or stand on the threshing sled, so that it would press down more firmly on the ears of corn.

After the grain was threshed, the chaff and the corn were separated with a winnow. The peasant threw the mixture of chaff and corn up in the air, so that the wind would blow away the light dust and the chaff. The heavier corns of grain and the straw fell back on the ground.
After that, the grain was sifted to remove any small stones from among the corns of grain. This was done with a flat, round sieve.