A to Z Challenge: B is for Barley (and stuff)

In case you missed it, I'm taking part in the 10th anniversary of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, the annual event where hundreds of bloggers write 26 blogs—one for each letter of the alphabet—and post them each day of the month, except Sundays. I’m blogging about: THINGS THAT GROW IN ALBERTA. Leave a comment on my blog, Facebook page, or Twitter for a chance to WIN a set of the Superman Duffy books.


Missed a post? Click here start back at the letter "A."

B is for Barley (and stuff) 

Barley, wheat, oats, rye, triticale, wild rice—these are all members of the grass family grown which are grown for their edible starchy seeds. Wait…why would anyone want starchy seeds, you ask? Good question!

First off, they're perfect for making some of my favourite food products—like breakfast cereals, or oats for oatmeal, wheat for pasta, and rye for flour. But did you know that only a small percentage of grain crops are used to make byproducts?

Large quantities of barley, corn and rye—especially in Alberta—are grown for livestock feed. Yep, those cartoon images of pigs eating barley aren’t actually a joke.

According to my grandpa, most grain crops do well in Alberta, because they’re resilient against the elements, like a cold snap, or drought. (And we've sure had our fair share of cold this past winter.)

Uh…speaking of drought, how would you like to WIN a copy of TRANSPIRATION? Mermaids, dinosaurs, sea creatures—oh my! It's one of the best Superman Duffy graphic novels in the set. Comment below or on any of my social media links to qualify for the daily draw.

Gotta Jet! “C” ya tomorrow.

~ Chase Superman Duffy