Grow your own barley

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Kitchen gardening

Indigenous to Europe, barley was the most important bread grain of the ancient Hebrews, Greeks and Romans. In fact, it was so valued that it was actually used as a form of currency in the Sumarian civilization. Although it is best known as a grain, barley water (or barley juice) has powerful immune and energy boosting properties.

Step-by-step guide for your own barley:

  • Barley should be sown in autumn in well dug, composted soil that receives plenty of sun.
  • Rinse and soak barley seeds overnight for best results. Scatter the seed evenly over the soil and then carefully rake it in.
  • Water the soil well until the first green grass shoots appear. Thereafter, water once or twice a week.
  • Your barley will be ready for harvesting in spring. Pull up handfuls of the shoots and combine them with fresh fruit in a juice extractor for a highly nutritious drink.

Did you know? In Chinese medicine barley water is used to treat jaundice, diabetes, high cholesterol and to clear the body of fatty deposits.

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