Barley

Creates beautiful golden waves in mass plantings and adds vertical texture to ornamental gardens. Bearded seed heads provide excellent dried flower material and architectural interest. Works wonderfully in prairie-style plantings.

Barley water has been employed as soothing drink for digestive and urinary complaints. The grain contains beta-glucans known for cholesterol-lowering properties. Barley grass used in modern supplements. Traditional Chinese medicine uses barley for spleen and stomach function.

Essential grain for brewing beer and whisky production. Pearl barley adds heartiness to soups and stews. Barley flour creates dense, flavorful breads. Malted barley provides natural sweetness in baking. Young barley grass can be juiced or used in smoothies.

Important cover crop that prevents soil erosion and improves soil structure. Provides habitat and food for numerous insects and birds. Acts as nurse crop for establishing perennial grasslands. Excellent green manure crop.

Annual grass growing 60-120cm tall with distinctive long-awned seed heads. Linear leaves 15-25cm long with small auricles clasping the stem. Spikelets in six rows or two rows on the rachis. Awns can reach 15cm long. Stems hollow between nodes.

Barley straw historically used for thatching roofs. Compressed straw bales serve as sustainable building material. Straw can be processed into particle boards and composite materials.

One of humanity's oldest cultivated grains, domesticated around 10,000 years ago. Used as currency in ancient Mesopotamia. The measurement 'barleycorn' (1/3 inch) was once a standard unit of length. Tibet's harsh climate makes barley (tsampa) the staple food.