Margaret's Beef Stew

This recipe comes from the first "What's Cooking at Moody's Diner" cookbook. Moody's Diner is a vintage 1930's Diner in Waldoboro, Maine and every year when I went to visit, my grandmother would take me there to get breakfast. I never had *this* recipe at Moody's, but this is my favorite stew that my mom made when I was growing up, and I want to make sure I don't lose this recipe. The barley was her addition to this stew, and she always made it in a crock pot, although I'll give the instructions to make it in a pot on the stove as well. Mainer's shorten "oleomargarine" to "oleo", unlike all the rest of the world that shortens it to "margarine", so in the recipe, where it calls for oleo, it is asking for margarine or butter. You can use a bag of frozen stew veggies instead of preparing the …