# Good Ol' Barley



## rhome (Aug 10, 2006)

Yes I do mean old barley and it wasn't stored in the best way...
an open shelf in the kitchen in a 1/2 gal. mason jar....and the date??? 1999!
I put some into a bowl and poured boilng water on it then let it soak for an hour.
So far, so good. Simmered for 1/2 hour until almost tender then it went into the soup pot of home grown veggies and venison.

The soup was great and the antigue barley was just fine.

Properly stored barley would be a great grain.
I don't have any nutritional facts about barley.
Good luck folks and have a prosperous new year


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## FrontPorch (Mar 27, 2008)

rhome said:


> Yes I do mean old barley and it wasn't stored in the best way...
> an open shelf in the kitchen in a 1/2 gal. mason jar....and the date??? 1999!
> I put some into a bowl and poured boilng water on it then let it soak for an hour.
> So far, so good. Simmered for 1/2 hour until almost tender then it went into the soup pot of home grown veggies and venison.
> ...


I love using barley in soups but I have a hard time finding it in bulk. Anyone have any ideas?


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I make a pea and barley salad during summer. It is delish, and you dont have to worry about it getting warm like a mayo based salad, plus its good for you


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## Vashti (Dec 22, 2006)

Thank you Rose! They have Bulgher wheat too...I love tabbouleh on crackers, and was hoping to find a source for bulgher in bulk. That's a great resource...I'll be ordering both bulgher and barley this week!


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## FrontPorch (Mar 27, 2008)

Great link, Rose! Thanks.


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2010)

Pearl barley is pretty well refined so it's got a good shelf life even just stuffed into a jar. Somewhat like white rice. So long as it was kept dry it ought to be safe to eat.

.....Alan.


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## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

I got pearled barley from the Breadbecker's co-op this past year. I add it to veggie soup. We like it. I bought a 50 lb bucket and a little goes a long way. I plan to stock another bucket this year as it is a good grain to stock for us as well.


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

We use a lot of barley [ stew, bread, etc]

We stock barley, oats, corn and sunfower; each fall we get a ton of each, that we use mostly for livestock feed.

We also grind some of the barley, oats and corn for ourselves.

Barley has been costing us $5 / 40-pound;
oats $6;
corn $8;
sunflower $12.


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## rhome (Aug 10, 2006)

Found this great info on another site.


Most of the survival dry goods I have seen on the boards tend to revolve around rice and beans as the nucleus of foods stored. While I recognize the high-caloric value of rice and the nutritional utility associated with beans, there are other alternatives to rice that could add a bit of variety to the survival stores along with some additional nutrition. Barley for instance, is a virtual survival [email protected]$$. It offers a healthier alternative to rice with a similar texture once pearled, hulled, or flaked, then cooked. Barley has twice the fatty acids as wheat, has 10% more calories, 40% more fiber, vitamin E (which wheat does not contain at all), 70% more thiamin, 250% more riboflavin, and 35% more lysine. 

And at the risk of sounding morbid, our type-2 diabetics won't last long on a diet of primarily rice with its high glycemic index, especially in the absence of insulin. Barley has an extremely high fiber count with is especially beneficial in slowing the absorption of glucose in the blood stream. Do a bit of research, and you'll find a plethora of studies that demonstrate that eating barley as opposed to wheat or rice can significantly affect glucose absorption in insulin-resistant patients. If you're trying to do your diabetic in, by all means feed them a steady diet of rice and sugar. But if you want your diabetic to remain as healthy as possible, trade in much of that rice for barley or other more nutritional grains.

Barley is also fairly cheap. My local Walmart (did I really just call it mine?) sells 2-lb. bags of barley for about a buck thirty. But I bought quite a bit of it in bulk a few years ago for about sixty cents a pound. Overall, not that much different than rice, as long as you purchase in bulk. 

Uses for barley are even more varied than rice. Whole barley is not suitable to cook without hulling it, but it is excellent for sprouting (an extremely rich nutrient source), and of course growing more barley. And don't forget that barley is much more robust than many other grains, and is suitable for growing in relatively poor soil and harsher climates. Hulled barley and pearled barley can be used as an alternative to rice or pasta. Use in soups, stews, or other dishes where rice would normally be added. The consistency is much like rice, but larger and rounder. They can also be toasted and served as a cold cereal. Barley flakes can be used in much the same way as oats, i.e., as a cooked cereal (with a bit of honey or raisins added), mixed with bread dough, or in granola. Barley flower can be made by grinding pearled or hulled barley in a grinder. Use barley flower (which has a much lower level of gluten than wheat) to supplement wheat flower when making bread, or replace wheat flower altogether when making pancakes or biscuits. Don't forget that barley can be used to ferment and malt if you plan on riding out the coming disaster with the occasional end-of-the-universe beer or liquor buzz. 

When storing, remember that barley is much like brown rice in that it contains more oils than white rice. When storing whole barley, expect it to last for many years. But that shelf life can be cut down in the case of improperly stored hulled or pearled barley. However, I have am currently eating barley that I stored in 1/2 gallon mason jars in 2004 (almost five years ago for those of you who failed math) with no problems. Just make sure your jars, buckets, or bags, are airtight and don't sit in the heat or direct sunlight. Don't forget, white rice only lasts like a bazillion years because it has been uber-processed to remove all the bran and oils, thereby making it much less nutritious (despite the enrichment process) than many other grains. 

In the end, I adamantly believe that rice should be heavily supplemented with a wide variety of other grains, to include not only barley, but spelt, couscous, corn, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, kamut, quinoa, whole wheat, and rye. Economic collapse will come with plenty of health hazards. I for one, do not intend to add to aggravate them with a steady diet of processed white rice. Don't get me wrong, I have a couple of hundred pounds of white rice just in case I live to be a thousand and the coming crisis hasn't yet ended, but I am not yielding my health to it for the near future.


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## Bonnie L (May 11, 2002)

I use barley, but not as much as I should. Next time I'm serving something over rice, I'll try barley instead. I love rice pudding - I wonder if the same recipe would work with barley? That way, it would be just sort of bad instead of all bad (type II diabetic in denial :ashamed.


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

rhome said:


> Found this great info on another site.
> 
> 
> Most of the survival dry goods I have seen on the boards tend to revolve around rice and beans as the nucleus of foods stored.


I see this too.

It makes no sense to me, and I am no diabetic.

The Roman Armies marched on barley porridge.

Wars and battles were fought, nations were conquered, empires were built on barley.

What tribe became an empire on beans and rice?

A diet of beans and rice might allow you to 'survive'; barley will allow you to thrive.






> ... Barley has an extremely high fiber count with is especially beneficial in slowing the absorption of glucose in the blood stream. Do a bit of research, and you'll find a plethora of studies that demonstrate that eating barley as opposed to wheat or rice can significantly affect glucose absorption in insulin-resistant patients. ...


A wheat diet brings many health problems.





> ... Barley is also fairly cheap. My local Walmart (did I really just call it mine?) sells 2-lb. bags of barley for about a buck thirty. But I bought quite a bit of it in bulk a few years ago for about sixty cents a pound. Overall, not that much different than rice, as long as you purchase in bulk.


I agree.





> ... Uses for barley are even more varied than rice. Whole barley is not suitable to cook without hulling it, but it is excellent for sprouting (an extremely rich nutrient source), and of course growing more barley. And don't forget that barley is much more robust than many other grains, and is suitable for growing in relatively poor soil and harsher climates. Hulled barley and pearled barley can be used as an alternative to rice or pasta. Use in soups, stews, or other dishes where rice would normally be added. The consistency is much like rice, but larger and rounder. They can also be toasted and served as a cold cereal. Barley flakes can be used in much the same way as oats, i.e., as a cooked cereal (with a bit of honey or raisins added), mixed with bread dough, or in granola. Barley flower can be made by grinding pearled or hulled barley in a grinder. Use barley flower (which has a much lower level of gluten than wheat) to supplement wheat flower when making bread, or replace wheat flower altogether when making pancakes or biscuits. Don't forget that barley can be used to ferment and malt if you plan on riding out the coming disaster with the occasional end-of-the-universe beer or liquor buzz.


Also good points.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

For those of you near Spokane Wa, check out Spokane Pea and Bean.
They have lentles, split peas, pearl barley. In 25 pound bags. The prices are really low and if you can buy 20 bags they give a discount.


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

rhome said:


> Yes I do mean old barley and it wasn't stored in the best way...
> an open shelf in the kitchen in a 1/2 gal. mason jar....and the date??? 1999!
> I put some into a bowl and poured boilng water on it then let it soak for an hour.
> So far, so good. Simmered for 1/2 hour until almost tender then it went into the soup pot of home grown veggies and venison.
> ...


Thanks for sharing this. It's good to know, once again, that our stores will last far longer than we might think.

stef


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## rhome (Aug 10, 2006)

I suspect there are all types of Barley just as there are rice varieties , but haven't done any research.
Also, some feed stores offer 3 times cleaned/hulled barley for race horses. Clean enough for people food, but don't know about any additives the mills could put in it.

We've used unhulled barley as a green manure in our raised beds, sown heavily it grows fast in the mild late spring temps. grow about 6" high and still tender, till under or use in salads.

I'm betting unhulled barley would store well for sprouts and future use for garden green manure.

Good luck


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## used2bcool13 (Sep 24, 2007)

I used bulgur wheat as a substitute for ground beef in chili, could you do that with barley? I just think of it in beef and barley soup/stew. Barley tastes great. Good thread.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Makes me hungry right now.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I love barley, but the only time my family will eat it without complaining is in beef stew. I have a bunch of it stored, probably 20 pounds, but I'd love to store more.


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## zito (Dec 21, 2006)

Can dehulled barley be stored for a very long time, such as along the lines of whole wheat? Or would the pearl barley be the one to choose for that? Or, in another way to put it, what is the storage life of dehulled or pearl barley? Thanks!


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

I know that whole barley can be stored for centuries [if stored in low humidity].

Once to begin to remove it's protective coatings, I do not know.


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## spiffydave (Mar 19, 2008)

I bought some hulled (not pearled) barley from Bob's Red Mill and put it in #10 cans with oxygen packets. I'm hoping it's going to store well for at least a few years - haven't opened one up, but probably will this week to try some more thermos cooking.

Bob's price is $15.50 for a 25 lb bag - not cheap, but we bought a few at the store in Portland when we were on vacation so no shipping charges.

http://www.bobsredmill.com/whole-hull-less-barley.html


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

Mom_of_Four said:


> I love barley, but the only time my family will eat it without complaining is in beef stew. I have a bunch of it stored, probably 20 pounds, but I'd love to store more.


We have a italian lentle and barley soup that we make that is pretty good.


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## spiffydave (Mar 19, 2008)

SquashNut said:


> We have a italian lentle and barley soup that we make that is pretty good.


I'd love to see that recipe. Not much better for you than lentils and barley.


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## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

Barley is a staple of many Asian cuisines, as is rice. Korean is one, but there are others.
Barley gives a "full of food" effect in the mouth and stomach - like meat, and unlike rice, you feel as if you've eaten a lot, and don't need to eat more.
Barley with hull still present is perfectly fine to cook and eat - just as much so as wheat grains. You need to make a conscientious effort to chew thoroughly, but you should be doing that anyway. Barley hulls are not good if you've got diverticulitis, but otherwise it's quite okay to boil thoroughly then eat.
And barley makes beer. Barley is definitely a good thing.


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## tomstractormag (Feb 23, 2007)

Wheat does contain vitamin E.
Its actually one of if not the best source of E.
Nothing wrong with barley though. I would use whole barley not pearled.
Whole grain is always the best.

Tom


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

All this talk of barley is making me hungry. Need to find some soon.


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## rightathome (Feb 10, 2009)

Azure Standard (.com, no spaces) has organic hulled barley for $17.70/ 25lb. They are a co-op - find a local drop point & join up- which is nice because you are not charged for shipping.


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## OldGrouch (Jan 23, 2008)

Thanks all who have shared knowledge, making me hungry.... MissKitty throws a handful or so of barley in soup and we have been wanting to experiment with barley flour in homemade breads. One use I've not seen mentioned is in tea, my favorite hot tea is RoastAroma, it's a barley based tea. Not sure if I can mention who makes it here on the forum so PM if you want to know that.

--Dwight


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## sgl42 (Jan 20, 2004)

thanks for the encouragement folks. made beef barley stew for dinner tonight. very tasty! i'd forgotten how tasty barley is in soup/stew, and need to buy some more next time i'm in town. 
--sgl


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