Despite a dry spring and downpours last month, farmers were astonished to harvest an excellent wheat and barley crop last month.

Combine harvesters worked flat out last week to bring in the last of the wheat and barley crop.

But the rains are too late to save the wheat and barley crops, stunted from the long, dry spring, and farmers are expecting a poor harvest.

These provide extra friction to remove the awns from barley crops.

Originally sarma was made with barley or, in dire times of low barley crops, with buckwheat.