I know I know!!!
First you get a bull....and then a heifer ....and make sure you have lots of grass....
LOL!
DARFC!
Linda C

Gotta grow your own barley too!!! :))

Nancy

Well, till mating season is over...here's a similar one from the Washington Post.

Mushroom and Barley Soup

6 to 8 servings

There's absolutely nothing fancy about this thick, homey, brown soup . . . except for its flavor.

Mushrooms have a natural affinity for barley; I prefer to use a mixture of shiitake and cremini mushrooms or rehydrated dried mushrooms. (The strained soaking liquid may be used to replace some of the beef stock.) For a vegetarian version, use vegetable stock rather than beef.

4 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, peeled and diced small

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small

1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced small

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

1 pound assorted mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, caps sliced into bite-size pieces

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 quarts (8 cups) beef stock (or vegetable stock), plus additional

1/2 cup pearled barley

1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)

Chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish

In a large heavy pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrots, parsnip and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring only occasionally, until all the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes more, adding more butter if necessary. Season with pepper and thyme and stir to combine. Add the stock, sherry if desired, and barley, increase the heat to medium-high and bring almost to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially and simmer gently until the barley is completely cooked and tender, about 1 hour. Check the liquid level during simmering; if a thinner consistency is desired, add additional stock. (May keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, for up to a couple of hours, or you may cover and refrigerate overnight and rewarm over low heat.)

To serve, garnish with parsley.

Per serving (based on 8): 189 calories, 7 gm protein, 23 gm carbohydrates, 9 gm fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 5 gm saturated fat, 589 mg sodium, 5 gm dietary fiber

Thanks, Maureen, that looks very much like what I'm remembering.

thanks, Maureen, that is indeed, "my" recipe. It came from either Cooking Light or Eating Well, two of my regular recipe sources.

Annie

Thanks, Annie.

This sounds very good. How do you make your beef stock? I'm assuming you are not using canned.

Dixie, I'm using canned, but it's homecanned. I take a big pan of beef soup bones and roast them with carrots and onions, salt and pepper, a bay leaf, whatever strikes me right then. A couple of hours and they are nice and brown, I scrape everything into my soup pot, cover with water and simmer it for a couple more hours. Check for seasonings and use as you wish.

I make big pots of stock in the fall when I have all that fresh beef and I don't want to take up freezer space with all those soup bones. I can the stock by itself, and some I make into vegetable soup and can that.

Annie

DD, with Annie, always presume it IS fresh/homemade. The girl has sources...and she works her *ss off making 'real' goodies from organic farm produce and animals. Maureen

Annie, thank you so much! It sounds wonderful. msazadi, you are so right and stupid of me to have questioned. I have lurked for some time and I see that she works wonders in the kitchen!