Bible Foods: Apricots And Barley

                                              OH THOSE APRICOTS

Do you like Apricots?  I don't.  So naturally, they are good for me.  Wouldn't you know!

Except for the fig, the apricot is the most abundant food in the Holy Lands.  In Cyprus, the people call the apricots  the "golden apples."

Apricots are loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C, and beta carotene. People who live in the Himalayas eat large amounts of a wild apricot called the "Kubani," which they believe gives them good health and long life.

About 75 years  ago, the winner of the Nobel Prize wrote, "apricots are equal to the liver in hemoglobin regeneration."  Which means it helps clean the blood.

Researchers have found that dried apricots are better than raw fruit. Ten dried halves equal three raw apricots in beta carotene content.  (What is beta carotene, anyway?  People throw the words around like we are all nutritionists and chemists.)

The fruit is thought to be effective in controlling high blood pressure and heading off sudden heart attacks.   Researchers also believe apricots help women after menopause because they contain large amounts of potassium, calcium, copper, and iron.

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                    Now, let's talk about BARLEY.

Barley, I like it in soups and salad. And guess what?  It is good for you and me.  Yah!  

It is the earliest known and most nourishing grain ever cultivated.  Bible researchers say it was the staple food of the people and cost less than wheat.

Barley is rich in complex carbohydrates that fuel the body with a  steady stream of energy.   In some places in the middle east, people call it the medicine for the heart as its fiber can lower the risk of heart disease by reducing the artery-clogging LDL.

Barley needs to be consumed three times a day to be effective.  It also relieves constipation and helps with a variety of digestive problems.

Barley flour can be used instead of wheat flour to make cereal, bread, cakes, and muffins.

Unpearled barley is unprocessed and is high in fiber which lowers blood pressure.  Pearled or scotch barley has been processed and is not as effective in curing constipation but still has enough cholesterol-lowering beta-glucans.

This Barley Water recipe was an ancient remedy that supposedly clears the complexion and stops wrinkles from forming.

1/2 cup honey or more to taste

8 cups water

1 cup barley

pinch of salt

Rinse barley, then combine with water and salt in a large kettle.  Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.  The longer the cooking period, the thicker the barley water will be.  Add water as necessary to keep the water level at about 5 cups.  Strain the barley, flavor barley water with the honey, and serve chilled. 

I think I will skip Barley Water and have wrinkles. 

 Barley is mentioned in the Bible.

A land of wheat and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates, a land of oil, olive, and honey. Deuteronomy 8:8

There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes.  ...they filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.  John 6:9-13

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Riddle:  Eating Garbage

You're having a conversation with a friend about your favorite foods.  He says to you.  "My favorite food is the one where you throw away the outside and cook the inside, then you eat the outside and throw away the inside!"   What food is he talking about?

Answer in the next blog.