Barley

Hordeum vulgare

Beta-glucan — a grain sown in autumn that overwinters

Barley is sown in autumn, sits through winter, and is cut in early summer of the following year. Its young blades stay green under frost, which is why more city gardeners now plant it as a winter cover for an otherwise bare plot. Seed goes into drills in the second half of October, and when winter frost heave lifts the crowns, the rows are trodden down to press the roots back into the soil — an old practice still worth copying. The heads are cut in May or June, once they have dried to yellow. For the table, use lightly milled whole barley or halmaek, grain split down the middle, and start with two or three parts in ten mixed into white rice. Rolled barley, pressed flat, needs no long soaking.

Year-Round Calendar

Sowing

Harvest

Where It Grows

Main producer Major producer Latitudes at 15–20℃ Zoom and pan to explore · temperatures are rough zonal averages

Main producer The world's largest producer. Spring barley in the southern Volga and Ural regions and in western Siberia forms the core of the crop. Harvest July, August, September
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Main producer The largest producer in the EU, with sizable exports of malting barley. Harvest June, July
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Major producer Growers split their plantings between winter barley and spring barley, and demand for brewing is strong.
Major producer Being in the Southern Hemisphere, its planting and harvest times are the reverse of the Northern Hemisphere's. The crop is grown in Western Australia and South Australia on the strength of winter rains. Harvest October, November, December
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Major producer Grown on the black-earth belt, and most of the harvest is exported. Harvest July, August
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Major producer Spring barley from the three Prairie provinces is the mainstay, with large exports of malting barley. Harvest August, September
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One of the earliest grains ever domesticated, alongside wheat, in the Fertile Crescent of Western Asia, barley has no origin that can be pinned to a single country — which is why no origin row is listed here. Its growing areas today are concentrated in temperate zones with cool summers or winter rainfall, and the crop pushes into land too cold, too dry, or too salty for wheat. A large share of the harvest goes to animal feed and brewing.

Optimum: 15~20℃
Range: 3~30℃
Hardiness: Hardy
Day length: Long-day

Barley is a grain of the cool season. It sprouts even at around 2℃, grows best at 15–20℃, and if days above 25℃ persist after the ears emerge, the kernels ripen small. Autumn-sown barley passes the winter as young plants, but it is less hardy against cold than wheat, so its overwintering limit — the line beyond which it cannot survive the winter in the field — lies farther south, and it will not make it through the winter in spots where water collects. The ears emerge as the days grow longer.

In Korea Nationwide

Autumn-sown barley is concentrated in the southern provinces — South Jeolla, North Jeolla, South Gyeongsang, and Jeju — while in the central region and Gangwon, where cold winters make overwintering difficult, growers plant spring barley, sown in spring. With autumn barley, the month of sowing and the month of cutting fall in different years. The time-honored method is double cropping (two harvests from the same field in a year): sowing in the paddies once the rice is in, cutting the barley in early summer the following year, and then transplanting rice seedlings again.

Southern Korea (autumn barley)

Sowing

Harvest

Central Korea and Gangwon (spring barley)

Sowing

Harvest

How to grow

Light: Six hours or more of direct sun. Pick a spot that still catches light in winter
Soil and depth: Free-draining soil at least 20 cm deep. Wet ground rots the roots over winter
Spacing: Drill in rows 20-25 cm apart, with seed every 3-5 cm along the row
Watering: One deep soak right after autumn sowing. Almost none through winter, then keep it from drying once spring growth restarts
Feeding: Mostly base fertilizer. One top dressing when growth resumes in spring. Too much nitrogen makes tall stalks that lodge
Harvest: Cut when the heads bow and a pressed grain no longer holds a thumbnail mark. Mid-June in central Korea

What makes the difference. Frost heave lifts roots over winter. Tread the row once in March, or press the soil back down, and lodging drops

Why this one is harder. Barley overwinters well but will not survive a spot where water sits. Pots are worse than open ground because the soil freezes and thaws repeatedly

Common problems

Barley aphid You will see Small insects cluster on leaves and heads, and foliage yellows What to do Wash them off with a jet of water early. If they spread, apply an organic-approved spray, focusing on leaf undersides
Powdery mildew You will see A dusting of white powder appears across the leaf surface What to do Open up spacing so air moves through, and remove affected leaves
Sparrows You will see Grain disappears as the heads fill and the heads look ragged What to do Net the crop once filling starts. Reflective tape loses its effect within days

This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.

Health Benefits

What the Donguibogam records. The Donguibogam lists barley in the Grains section as 大麥, given in Korean as 'boribssal'. It calls the grain warm in nature, notes an alternate reading of slightly cold, and describes it as salty in taste and without toxicity. It rates autumn-sown grain above spring-sown grain, and records that barley mixed with iron filings and gallnut was used to dye a beard black. This is a record from an old medical text and differs from modern medical judgment.

Research on beta-glucan and blood lipids. Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials have reported lower blood LDL cholesterol in people who consistently consumed roughly 3 g per day of barley beta-glucan. The explanation offered is the viscosity that soluble fiber creates in the digestive tract. This is a report about food intake and does not mean treatment or prevention of disease.

Research on post-meal blood sugar response. Studies have reported a flatter post-meal blood sugar curve when barley beta-glucan was part of the meal. The proposed mechanism is that viscous fiber slows the passage of food and its absorption. This is a report about food intake and does not mean treatment or prevention of disease.

Nutrition

Beta-glucan (About 3-7% of grain weight, varying by cultivar and milling) — A soluble fiber that turns viscous in water
Dietary fiber (Around 15 g per 100 g of hulled barley) — High among common cereal grains
Protein (Around 10 g per 100 g) — Cereal protein, relatively low in lysine

Beta-glucan Barley grain contains beta-glucan, a fiber that dissolves in water. Reported levels run about 3-7% of grain weight, with wide variation by cultivar and degree of milling. In water it becomes viscous, which is why cooked barley feels stickier than white rice. Heavy milling strips it away, so whole or lightly polished barley retains more.

Total dietary fiber Barley sits high among cereals for fiber. Hulled barley is reported at roughly 15 g per 100 g. Mixed into white rice, it noticeably raises the fiber in a single bowl. What sets barley fiber apart is that soluble and insoluble forms occur together.

Protein and minerals Dried barley carries about 10 g of protein per 100 g. Niacin, magnesium, and selenium come along with it. Because cereal protein is low in lysine, a table that pairs barley with beans or seasoned greens makes the better combination.

Hordein, a protein in the gluten family The storage protein of barley includes hordein, which belongs to the same family as the gliadin of wheat. Anyone with celiac disease, or anyone avoiding wheat protein, needs to leave out malt and roasted barley tea as well as the grain in its whole, pearled and rolled forms. Barley tea is the usual blind spot, drunk without any thought of it as a grain. A grain being one of the miscellaneous cereals does not make it gluten-free.

Pairings

○ White rice — Mixing barley into white rice is the most common way to eat it. Barley absorbs more water and cooks slower than rice, so soak it for about 30 minutes or parboil it before adding. Starting at roughly 7 parts rice to 3 parts barley keeps the texture familiar.

○ Young radish kimchi and doenjang — Barley rice stirred together with yeolmu kimchi and doenjang is a fixture of the Korean summer table. The plain flavor of barley carries the strong fermented seasoning, and the moisture of the greens offsets its dryness. Young Summer Radish (Yeolmu)

○ Malt and sikhye — Sprouted and dried covered barley becomes malt. The enzymes it releases convert the starch in cooked rice into sugar, which is how sikhye and grain syrup are made. If you grew your own, holding back some grain to make malt is worth trying.

△ If you avoid wheat protein — Barley contains hordein, a storage protein in the same family as wheat gluten. Anyone diagnosed with celiac disease or avoiding wheat protein needs to check malt and roasted barley tea as well as the grain itself. Barley tea, drunk without a second thought, is the usual blind spot. Wheat

△ Increasing the amount too fast — The Donguibogam noted that eating a large amount all at once leaves the legs feeling weak. A sharp jump in high-fiber grain does tend to bring gas and bloating, so raise the portion slowly and drink enough water. This is a record from an old medical text and differs from modern medical judgment.

△ Undercooked grain — The old text told readers to cook barley through and marked undercooked grain as poor. Barley is harder than rice and needs more water and time, so a pressure cooker or a preliminary boil is the safe route. Undercooked grain is hard to digest.

Varieties

Naked barley (ssalbori) — The hull comes away easily, so it cooks well mixed into rice
Covered barley (geotbori) — A tough hull. Mostly used for malt and roasted barley tea
Huinchalssalbori — A waxy Korean cultivar that cooks up soft
Cheongbori (green barley) — Cut while the heads are still green, for fodder and for looks

Source: Donguibogam, Grains section, 大麥 · Rural Development Administration (Nongsaro)