Introduction

As it grows in the fields, barley is a particularly handsome, stout grain.  In the pot, it provides a hearty chewiness to many a soup and grain salads.  Barley has historical roots in Mesopotamia, “the cradle of civilization”.

Culture

All of our barley varieties are hulless.  The significance of this is that in the threshing process the berries detach from the plant without a hull surrounding the individual berries.  This is always the case for wheat and rye berries, but not so for oats, barley, spelt, emmer and rice.  Most oats and barley varieties currently grown are varieties with hulls, which are then removed via a process which denatures the berry, rendering the seed without a germ and the berry unwhole, which is part of the goal anyway, since pearled barley is the desired end-product.  The benefit is a quicker cooking time.  The losses are nutrients.  Therefore, hulless varieties are significant to us as believers in whole grains and nutrient-dense foods.  Some of our barley varieties are fall planted, while others are spring planted, depending on their winter sensitivities.  A mix of fall and spring planted grains are significant to us as growers as we can use them accordingly to help in weed management.  Many of the varieties which we offer are the result of years of amplification: starting off with a handful of valuable seeds, growing them out, saving all seed for replanting, and again and again, until finally the harvest is enough to share for consumption.

Availability

Barley is available as either whole berries or stone-milled into flour upon request. Milling upon request allows us to provide a freshly milled product with nutrients and enzymes most intact and active.