Job's tears; something interesting

[blueadzuki]

Hi, all
Today while wandering around Chinatown, I happened to pass by a store selling (amongst other things) hulled and polished kernels of Job's tears (aka "Chinese pearl barley") Normally I would let such a thing pass (I know for a fact that the same process that removes the hulls also almost invariably strip off most to all of the germ, so the seeds, while nutritios are usually no more viable than a handful of polished white rice) however the hulling machine that did this batch must have been set a hair too wide, so there were a few kernels in the container with their hulls still on so I scooped those out and bought them. as I went through theseed (to remove those that were damged in manners that would keep them from growing) I noticed something, apparently the type of Jobs tear that all of those growers are using isn't the same one as is generally available here. One of the defining characterestics of a jobs tear seed is how damn hard it is to crack without totally crushing it (or why they are also so popular as beads) only one of the seeds was of that type. All of the others I got with shells on were of a different type. they were thinner had noticable ribbing on the shells and (this is the important part) are a LOT softer, I could crack them just by squeezing them between my fingers and the kernel was still fully intact. Even adjusting for the fact of how I got them (which meant that a lot were likey already cracked a little) this is a lot more brittle than the Job's tear I am familar with and a much easier harvest. If I was growing jobs tears as a grain (and I may add the ones I got to my grain supply) I certainly prefer that one. I always sort of knew that Jobs tears came in as many breeds as any other grain, but I think this is the first time Ive seen one other than the "standard" (no wait second, there was that one micrograined one I found in a bead shop back when I was a kid.)

[cortona]

nice find! go with it and plant it as soon as weater permit! biodiversity is wath all we need! good job my friend! realy a good job!

[garnetmoth]

thats neat! Id gotten some in trade before and wondered how the heck one was supposed to eat them.... apparently look for the right variety ;-)

[ottawagardener]

That is interesting. I had wanted to try them as a grain but now I think I probably have to look out for the righ type. As it is, I have some 'bead' types. I think they are borderline here for growth (heat units) anyhow but I'm intrigued.

[trixtrax]

Coix lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen is the soft-shelled type used for food. The more common hard-shelled types are often used as beads in particular as rosaries. We have one that we inherited from my grandma. They actually can come in many colors including bright red. I have read that while it is low in minerals it is high in protein. The document claimed higher protein than any other grass. Used medicinally for decreasing dampness and treating cancer. I have two types that I probably won't grow them out since, like Telsing, its probably also marginal in my climate. One type is a commercial packet from SSE and another type a friend collected for me in Hawaii where is grows as a roadside and riverside weed. Would someone like these seeds?

[blueadzuki]

Just a quick note I was able to get a little more seed yesterday (it turns out that, if you buy the "low grade" stuff out of the open bins, getting a couple dozen with the shells still on is quite easy, the only limitation is how long you can stand before you get bored or get in the way of someone trying to buy the stuff to eat ). Most of the sellers, if they notice what I'm doing at all, are only too glad I am (after all I'm buying the form that most people buying the product don't want, so I leave the bin slightly higher in grade after I leave).

Oh and Tritrax and Telsing you might want to give you seed a try. despite being of subtropical orgin job's tear is suprisingly cold tolerant. You won't get it perennially like you would in the tropics (where the dropped seed can overwinter) but it has no problem going full cycle in a very short time. I'm only two zones higher than you telsig Telsig and I had seed off my plants I planted in April by July or August, it really does grow fast (Of course I'm talking about the hard version, whether the soft is more finiky will have to be determined this year!)
BTW there is actually a fourth version which I have never had, but have seen in a book on beads (though it would be of even less use as food). Apparently in some parts of the Phillipines, there's a strain that makes seed capsules that are long and spindle shaped (more like giant rice grains).
Oh and while I'm not going to say your wrong (I don't profess to know everything about the grass) I always though the red ones were dyed (job's tears dye quite well) and only the white, grey and brown shades were natural.

[cortona]

Blueadzuki can you find some seeds of the soft shelled ones for tryng ithere in central italy? i think it can grow easily in my climate.
as usual if you like something from my list ..let me know and is your...wel is your with or without the soft shelled ones as usual:-)

[trixtrax]

Thanks for the info blueadzuki, maybe I will give it a try yet.. this spring. As for the red colored ones, maybe sometimes they are dyed? but on Hawaii they used to grow as a weed in disturbed places but were removed by the "invasive weed police" while the much more common regular colors grow nearly unabated.

[flowerpower]

In December, Cornishwoman sent me seed for this. I don't know much about it. Not all varieites form the natural hole? I'm guessing I should start these inside. The season is very short here.

[blueadzuki]

Mar 29, 2011 6:31:47 GMT -5 flowerpower said:

In December, Cornishwoman sent me seed for this. I don't know much about it. Not all varieites form the natural hole? I'm guessing I should start these inside. The season is very short here.

I've never heard of any that don't have the hole, though granted, some require a little more effort to make it and there amy be some that are a little tight. If you look at the bottom of the seed, you see a little dimple. Push on the dimple with a darning needle and the needle will go through to the hole in the top of the other end. The actualy seed is curved inside with the glumes covering the curve so you wont have to push through the kernel (the other neat thing about this arrangement is that it means that the seeds are still viable to plant, even after you've strung them. Just do that remove the gunk from the top (the capsule is there from the get go, so the male flowers actually come out of the hole in the top of it and your good to go.
And I see no reason you have to start your seed indoors. Your in the Catskills, I'm in the Hudson Valley. Unless you are really, really up high in the Catskills your climate and growing season can't be all that different than mine, and I had no trouble getting them started from seed outside. Heck my orginal seed came from the restoration in Sturbridge, Mass and they had no trouble. Yes our season isn't that long but it's plenty long for this. Job's tears is actually a pretty easy plant to grow. About the only thing I can think of that might cause problems is if your soil was really, really silicon poor.

[rhizowen]

Here's a picture of Coix lacryma-jobi var Ma-yuen, aka adlay or hato mugi - the soft shelled grain crop on Nov 18 2011 in Cornwall UK. I'm impressed by how well this tropical plant has put up with a cool summer, heavy rain and light frosts. Unfortunately it is only flowering now, so won't ripen a crop, but has definite potential - is much hardier than corn (maize) in our climate - just need earlier varieties.

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[drylandfish]

Hello everyone. I just discovered this informative forum through searching or a source for soft-hulled Job's Tears, also called ma-yuen. I am located on the Big Island of Hawaii and have seen the hard-shelled variety grown here for beads. I see it is listed as a noxious weed, but have never seen it outside of a person's yard. I'd like to try it as an experimental chicken forage and I also quite like it as a cereal. Does anyone know where I might come by a small quantity of seed? If interested in a trade, I currently have poha berry, naranjilla and tamarillo seed.

Thanks!

[blueadzuki]

I'd love to help, but I only have 10-12 seeds myself (the crop last year was a bust, I put it out too soon and it froze. and they are getting better at settignt the machines) About the only thing I can suggest is to do as I did, find some Chinese grocery that sells them out of open bins (I assume there is a Chinatown somewhere in one of the larger cities, like Hilo) and hope there are some the cracker missed.

[12540dumont]

My chickens loved them. I grew the hard type, but the chickens loved the grass and grain.

[drylandfish]

Thanks anyway, blueadzuki! Sorry to hear about the frost. All I've managed to find at the Chinese grocery is the bagged variety that is quite thouroughly de-hulled.

Good to know the chickens found it tasty, dumont!

I'll keep looking and post any positive results here. I found a seedbank in Thailand that has it, but need to see if they will ship to me and at what cost.