Sandlands & Heathlands

How are sheep and the distinctive vegetation of this region related?
What is the distinctive vegetation?

Answers:

• farmers allowed too many sheep to overgraze the infertile sandy areas of the glaciated North European Plain; only the plants and trees that the sheep did not eat survived!

• distinctive vegetation: heather (blooms purple usually by August) and junipers
  

These sandy soils are well suited to grow asparagus (shown after the harvest when the plants are exposed) -- a Spring time delicacy -- grown in dirt mounds so that the asparagus remains white. It is typically eaten with smoked ham and new (Spring) potatoes!

Look at a map of land uses for the North European Plain.
Notice all crops that make up the distinctive Northern European diet.
The white asparagus is shown at the feet of the horse; the women is putting potatoes in a bag.

Potatoes are an important staple throughout the North European Plain, boiled, fried, mashed; as flour for breads and pancakes; and as alcohol. When Austria controlled Poland, the Emperor introduced potatoes to better feed the peasants. Roman Catholic priests denounced potatoes initially because they feared that potato flour would be used to make communion wafers! Throughout Eastern Europe, including Russia, potatoes are preserved and enjoyed more by making vodka: it takes 10 pounds of potatoes to make one bottle!

Read about another distinctive aspect of the social geography of Eastern Europe and ethnic discrimination: The Roma (or Gypsies) of Europe.