Barley Vegetarian Soup

This is definitely a good tasting soup! I wonder why I haven't tried it sooner, I love the taste and texture of barley. Its not locally available though, and I got to try this with the pack of barley from my dear SIL in Australia.

We here at home are into vegetarian soups, which are easy and quick to make, tasty and nutritious. And we can only be sure of this by using mostly fresh ingredients. I only use canned veggies when fresh is not available or the price is too high.
My basic recipe for soup: don't follow a recipe!
Just make sure the following ingredients is in the soup and is fresh: onions, celery stalk, tomatoes, carrots, green or red bell pepper
Optional ingredients: garlic, beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, corn, potato, and many more
Seasonings: salt and pepper; (optional) bay leaf, basil