he knights and their servants and their
mounts all had to eat, as did the lord, his family, and his servants
and officials, and their families. Many castles grew certain types of
food inside their walls, to add variety to the diet of those inside
the castle, but it was not nearly enough to feed the people in the
castle, much less their guests. Castles might have beehives, herb
gardens, fruit trees or a fishpond. Because the land inside the castle
walls was not enough to feed all these people, they got their food
from the peasants who farmed outside, and from hunting. There were
restrictions on hunting by the peasants, and sometimes it was
forbidden entirely, so that the lord and his retainers would have
plenty of game to hunt. Hunting was also a major recreation for the
lord and his men.
