Hordeum vulgare

Skinless Barley is a true hulless barley, meaning the protective hull naturally falls away at harvest, leaving a clean kernel that requires minimal processing. The plants are short, early maturing, and thresh easily, making them well-suited to regions with cooler springs, shorter seasons, or unpredictable weather. The compact habit reduces lodging, and the early maturity helps ensure a dependable harvest even in challenging climates.

Hulless barley is known for its superior nutritional value, as the removal of the hull reveals more digestible fibre, protein, and minerals. Unlike traditional hulled barley, the kernels remain intact and usable without mechanical pearling or polishing. This trait makes Skinless Barley valuable for growers focused on on-farm food security, low-input grains, and crops that integrate well into small gardens or mixed homesteads.

The grains can be used whole, flaked, or milled. Skinless Barley performs exceptionally well in manual flakers such as the FlicFloc, producing small nutty flakes for porridge, multigrain baking, or homemade cereals. When cooked whole, the grains turn tender while retaining a pleasant chew, making them suitable for savoury and sweet dishes alike.

Culinary Uses & Recipe Ideas
Flaked Barley (FlicFloc Friendly)

Hulless barley flakes beautifully with a hand-flaker. Use:

In porridge with apples, cinnamon, and honey

In homemade granola, combined with sunflower seeds and dried fruit

As an addition to bread dough for texture and nutrition

Added to dog treats with mashed pumpkin or peanut butter

Lightly mist the grains before flaking if they are very dry; this helps produce smooth flakes instead of cracked kernels.

Whole-Grain Cooking

Skinless Barley cooks faster than hulled barley and has a mild, earthy flavour.

Simple Barley Bowl

1 cup barley

2¼ cups water or broth

Salt to taste
Simmer 30–40 minutes until tender. Serve with roasted vegetables, or stir in herbs and olive oil for a warm grain salad.

Barley & Mushroom Skillet
Sauté onions, garlic, mushrooms, and thyme. Stir in cooked barley and finish with a splash of cream or a spoonful of miso.

Barley Breakfast Pudding
Simmer cooked barley with coconut cream, maple syrup, and a pinch of nutmeg. Serve warm with berries.

Baking

Skinless Barley can be:

milled into wholemeal flour

combined with wheat flour in bread, muffins, or flatbreads

used as flakes in multigrain loaves

Multigrain Barley Loaf
Combine:

2 cups wheat flour

1 cup barley flour

½ cup barley flakes

Yeast, warm water, salt, and a touch of molasses
Produces a soft, nutty loaf with excellent keeping quality.

Traditional & Historical Background

Barley is one of the earliest domesticated grains, with cultivation dating back more than 10,000 years in regions of the Fertile Crescent. Hulless varieties like Skinless Barley are ancient types once grown widely in areas where labour-intensive dehulling was impractical. These early “naked” barleys were valued for their ability to:

mature quickly in short seasons

thrive in poor soils

provide a dependable staple grain

process easily without specialized equipment

Hulless barley has been historically used in:

Tibetan tsampa

Ethiopian genfo porridge

ancient European flatbreads

early brewing traditions where easy-threshing barley was prized

Modern breeding has focused heavily on hulled barley for commercial malting, so hulless types have become rarer but remain important in regions prioritizing resilience, early maturity, and direct food use.

Skinless Barley preserves this old agricultural tradition while offering practical advantages for contemporary growers focused on local grain resilience and home-scale processing.

These seeds are available directly from Garden Faerie Botanicals in the heart of British Columbia, Canada. The collection features heirloom and heritage seeds that are personally cultivated organically without the use of any chemicals. Emphasizing historical, rare, non-GMO seeds, this selection preserves biodiversity through open-pollination.