2 lb bag Washington - Black Nile Barley is organic

This mix is absolutely delightful in so many ways. It has a slightly nutty, slightly sweet flavor that comes through so perfectly in the pancakes. Not gloppy like whole wheat pancakes, and not dry like buckwheat pancakes. Just whole grain goodness that even the kids like. How can you go wrong there?

Lentz' Black Nile Barley Pancake mix is now a staple at our house, you should make it a staple at yours as well. Your family will love it -- and so will your body. Finally! A whole grain pancake that tastes great.

The history of Black Nile Barley is a long one ... a very long one.

In pre-historic times, barley grew among the wild grasses. Nomads from the Near East gathered the barley (and einkorn) long before the agrarian agriculture took hold.

There are two basic types of barley and both existed back in ancient times: Hulled and hulless. The difference is hard to understand, but here goes; In hulled barley, the hull binds to the kernel and does not come off during harvest. In hulless barley, the hull is not bound to the kernel, and it falls off easily. So hulless barley does have a hull -- but the hull comes off easily, leaving the whole-grain kernel in tact. Will hulled barley, the hull must be rubbed off -- using a process called "pearlizing".

For some reason, modern industrialized western countries disregarded the hulless barleys. From a nutritional stand point, that was not a good thing. Because pearlizing barley removes most of the bran during the process of rubbing off the hull. Where, with hulless barley, no bran is removed, leaving the complete, whole-grain goodness of the barley in tact.

Lucky for us, hulless barleys did not go away. They are still an important food crop in Northern Africa, the Middle Eat and in the Himalayas. And lucky for us, Lentz Spelt Farms is in the business of bringing back ancestral crops and growing them here in the Pacific Northwest - including Black Nile Barley. Over the last three years, Renee Featherstone and Lena Lentz have been working on the Black Nile Barley seed stock -- cleaning and propagating it -- into what is now, for the first time this year, and reasonable commercially viable commercial crop. Much of that barley is ground into flour and also made into Pancake Mix.

nutritionally speaking
Barley stands out for its many nutritional qualities. It is high in Glucan Soluble Fiber - the fiber that helps lower cholesterol and reduced the glycemic index - which helps to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The FDA has recently labeled barley as "heart healthy."

Maltose syrup is another product made from barley, and it give barley it's fine, slightly sweet flavor.

Lastly, the pigment in Black Nile Barley specifically contains high levels of antioxidants, specifically Anthocyanin -- the same antioxidant found in beets and purple cabbage. Generally speaking, antioxidants found in grains are more stable than those found in fruits and vegetables.

Barley in cooking
Functionally, barley can be substituted for wheat in almost any recipe, with the exception of leavened bread. Barely is not suitable for making bread because it is lower in gluten than wheat. So add a little color to your pilaf and risotto. Or make pancakes with the Black Nile Barley flour, or just pick up a bag of Black Nile Barley Pancake Mix.