Organic Purple Barley

32 oz (2 pounds) - Washington/Oregon

Purple Barley Organic Essential Pantry

The history of 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 organized agriculture took hold.

There are two basic types of barley and both existed back in ancient times: Hulled and without Hull. 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 kernelintact. With 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 standpoint, that was not a good thing. Because pearlizing barley removes most of the bran during the process of rubbing off the hull. With hulless barley, no bran is removed, leaving the complete, whole-grain goodness of the barley intact.

Lucky for us, hulless barleys did not go away. They are still an important food crop in Northern Africa, the Middle East and in the Himalayas. And lucky for us farmers are bringing back ancestral crops and growing them here in the Pacific Northwest - including Purple Barley.

Barley for stands out for its wonderful flavor and many nutritional qualities. The matose in barley gives it a fine, slightly sweet taste, and barley 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."

Lastly, the pigment in Purple Barley 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.

Functionally, barley can be substituted for wheat in almost any recipe, with the exception of leavened bread. Barley is not suitable for making bread because it is lower in gluten than wheat. But feel free to add a little color to your pilaf and risotto!

nutritionally speaking
Barley for cooking 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 Purple 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.

Cook 1 barley to 2 1/2 to 3 cups water or stock
rinse with water and look for debris
measure water and bring to a boil
add barley
boil and then reduce to simmer for 40 minutes or till done
You can also soak overnight and reduce the cooking time to about 15 minutes.

ingredients: purple barley
contains gluten

THIS PRODUCT IS PACKAGED IN A FACILITY THAT ALSO HANDLES WHEAT FLOUR, SOY FLOUR, TREE NUTS, PEANUTS, CHOCOLATE (MILK), AND OTHER ALLERGENS