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To toast the barley:
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Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a small Dutch oven or thick-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat.
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Once the butter is melted, put the barley in and increase the heat to high.
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Stir frequently, until the barley darkens and begins to smell nutty.
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Once barley is toasted, reduce heat to medium.
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Add the minced garlic and stir for another minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant.
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Add the stock, water and bay leaf to the barley garlic mixture and turn down to a simmer.
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Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on your barley.
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Note: If stuffing a pumpkin, at this time cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh.
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Replace the top, place the pumpkin in a pan with 1 inch of water and bake at 350F until easily pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes or so.
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Once the barley is done, remove the bay leaf and discard.
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Remove the barley pan from heat and let sit.
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Put remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a pan, and toast the sunflower seeds the same way you did the barley.
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Add onion and apple, and saute until translucent.
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Add frozen spinach and cover for 3 minutes, until spinach has cooked and can be easily mixed with the onion mixture.
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Mix sunflower seed/onion/apple/spinach into the barley.
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Barley may have clumped a bit while sitting, but just fluff it with a fork when you add everything else in.
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Add a dash or two of rice vinegar to taste.
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It doesnt need much, just enough to finish the dish.
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Serve as is for a side, or spoon stuffing into the roasted pumpkin and return to the 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
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Transfer to a pretty plate and bring the whole pumpkin to the table.
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To serve, scoop out some pumpkin flesh with the barley mixture.
