Purple Karma Tibetan Barley

Winter Comfort 'Purple Karma Tibetan' Barley
Hordeum vulgare

Heirloom Tibetan hulless barley with a deep purple-brown colour. Lovely as a whole-grain addition to soups or stews, I also quite like barley lightly browned in a skillet, then cooked in an Instant Pot or similar as a salad amendment. Flavour is nutty, deep, and very wholesome. Winter comfort! Would also make a lovely ornamental fall display if harvested when purple.

Barley is relatively straightforward to grow, requiring only average soils. Threshing is not complicated once plants are very dry. Best started in spring, although in mild winter areas, it can be fall sown. We do not know the exact degree of cold tolerance of this variety; some online sources suggest barley can be damaged by cold in the -6° range. Six row type with awns.

According to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, this variety was collected in Tibet in 1924, then sat in a gene bank for many years. Eventually, Pat Hayes of Oregon State University used this seed to introduce this variety to the west.

Growing: Plant in spring around the average last frost date, 1/2" deep in rows with plants 2-3" apart. Fall planting may also be successful depending on how cold the winter gets. Plant into low- to moderate- fertility soil; highly fertile soil will cause the plants to fall over ("lodge").

Harvest: mature heads proceed from purple to light brown colour. May benefit from further drying to aid threshing. For small quantities, seed heads can be rubbed with gloves to release the seeds. Or, put it into a sac and beat it against the ground. Remove chaff with a fan or similar. Make sure the grain is very dry before storage.
Dry growing (growing without irrigation): We generally do not irrigate our fall plantings. In good soil spring planting may not require irrigation, although irrigation may improve yield. Avoid getting the heads wet when they start to dry down.