When we were in Illinois we grew our own alfalfa sprouts which we loved on salads and in sandwiches.
In Hawaii, mom loves to pickle or cook bean sprouts in a variety of dishes. It's hard to find fresh bean sprouts that aren't brown or half dead. That's when Art had this bright idea. Why not grow our own mung bean sprouts?
I was dubious, but we went to the Down to Earth store and bought a sprouting jar and citric acid to insure the seeds don't rot.
We followed the directions that said to put a cup of beans into the jar. It seemed like an awful lot, but we wanted to follow the directions carefully. We rinsed the beans and added enough water to cover them along with a teaspoon of citric acid. As we feared, the bottle became crowded with sprouts and there was some mold growing. We split the beans into two bottles.
We ended up with a lot of sprouts, but they looked terrible. Much of it was spoiled or molded and many did not even grow.
We'll try it one more time with less beans, and then...
Hmmm... I wonder if alfalfa sprouts would work better...
POSTSCRIPT:
Sigh...
Tried it again with less seeds and this time nothing sprouted.
Sigh....
In Hawaii, mom loves to pickle or cook bean sprouts in a variety of dishes. It's hard to find fresh bean sprouts that aren't brown or half dead. That's when Art had this bright idea. Why not grow our own mung bean sprouts?
We followed the directions that said to put a cup of beans into the jar. It seemed like an awful lot, but we wanted to follow the directions carefully. We rinsed the beans and added enough water to cover them along with a teaspoon of citric acid. As we feared, the bottle became crowded with sprouts and there was some mold growing. We split the beans into two bottles.
We ended up with a lot of sprouts, but they looked terrible. Much of it was spoiled or molded and many did not even grow.
We'll try it one more time with less beans, and then...
Hmmm... I wonder if alfalfa sprouts would work better...
POSTSCRIPT:
Sigh...
Tried it again with less seeds and this time nothing sprouted.
Sigh....
How discouraging....I think there are sites online where you can watch people doing this...But you used to do it successfully...Do you think the second time the seeds were just not viable?
ReplyDeletethats too bad,, I have never had any trouble sprouting and I just use an empty margarine container with holes punched in the bottom, set it in a pie plate and put it in a dark cupboard, I rinse them every day morning and night,, I just recently sprouted french green lentils and they tasted so good, I will do that agian for sure!! I hope you figure it out because they are so nice to have fresh and so very very cheap!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry. Even during my hippy years, I just brought them from the store.
ReplyDeleteI tried alfalfa sprouts, followed all the directions, and got nothing but rotting seeds. Not trying that again because the seeds are really expensive and I have better use of my time. I'll just buy them at the store.
ReplyDeletewhat a challenge-Iused to do alfalfa sprouts but long ago...there is something about doing it in the dark or a dark jar???? good luck...
ReplyDeleteI make sprouts all the time and have never had a problem, unless I forgot about them. I have never tried citric acid. I just soak them for 12 hours or so initially, and then rinse them three times a day, leaving the jar so it is tipped downhill, but not allowing the sprouts to cover the screen, and out of direct sunlight. There is a website called Sprout People that has a lot of info on it to read. Hope you try it again, fresh sprouts are so good, especially in the middle of winter!
ReplyDeleteI'll try again when the weather cools down. Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a comment, Wendy. I love meeting new friends.
DeleteThanks Kay! I read your blog quite regularly, but almost never comment. I love Hawaii (never been there) and seeing your garden exploits!
DeleteOh dear, too bad it didn't work out!
ReplyDeleteEasy! LOL
ReplyDeleteALOHA
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=
Well, I admire you for trying.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I have no advice. I only grow stuff outside in the dirt. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, rotten sprouts can make you sick. Best not to grow them.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised. I thought beans would sprout automatically.
ReplyDeleteBummer. Back in my hippie days we routinely grew all varieties of sprouts. I wonder it the sprouts know how old we are.
ReplyDeleteSorry for laughing, but that was kinda funny! It's probably too hot in Hawaii for sprouting in glass and I am glad you tried and shared because now I won't be tempted to grow my own sprouts.
ReplyDeleteI was figuring it was the hot, humid weather we've been having. Sigh.... Used to grow so easily in Chicago.
DeleteTry it again during the winter months. Meanwhile, ask your grocer which day the delivery for sprouts comes in from HPC Foods or check out your neighborhood open markets.
DeleteMy mom used to like to cook with sprouts all the time, too.
I think you're right. They're saying it's going to be warm until December, right? I'll have to wait until January.
DeleteSigh...
hello, hello! i've actually been a long-time reader of your blog.... but have never left a comment before. i do apologize if that makes you feel a little weird. this posting really struck a chord with me, though! it brought back memories of a time in my childhood, where i actually did grow (mung) bean sprouts (in hawaii!!). =o)
ReplyDeleteall you need is an empty tofu container, some damp cotton balls spread across the bottom... and the mung beans. just sprinkle mung beans on top of the damp cotton. not jam-packed so that the whole cotton layer is covered with beans... but enough that you see more beans than cotton balls.
we would put the tofu tray in a brown paper bag, and mist them once a day with a spray from a water bottle. once the beans started to sprout, we would then take them out of the bag completely, put them by a window (for sunlight), and continue to spray with a water bottle until the sprouts were to our liking. the tall sides of the tofu tray help the sprouts to grow up, instead of sideways. i vividly remember the sprouts we grew were always way skinnier than the ones we could buy from the grocery store... but the whole growing process was so much fun! =o)
Hello Unknown! You're the first "Unknown" I've met. Thank you very much for your comment. I hope you'll leave more since I love hearing from readers. I'm especially grateful for this comment. I have tons of tofu containers. I can't wait to try this out. Thank you, thank you! (And I don't feel weird about your being a silent reader until now. I have a number of friends who also read, but don't respond.)
DeleteGarden to work blog
ReplyDeleteFeb 17, 2014
I follow the above and have sprouted mung beans for a few years.
Never used citric acid. Yes, temperature is very important(around 80 F is perfect) It's important to dry your containers between sprouting to prevent molding. Bean freshness is important too. I store my beans in the refrigerator.
Please keep on trying. It may take a few try. You may try use 1/4 cup of means and 1/4 water to soak...so not waste a lot of beans while trying.
Good luck.
Garden to wok
ReplyDeleteGardeToWok
Thank you so much! We're looking forward to trying again. Keeping my fingers crossed. However, I think I have to wait until the weather cools down a bit. It's still too hot and humid here in Hawaii.
DeleteJust wonder,
DeleteHave you tried again?
My home is kept around 60f in the winter(thrifty). Too cold for sprouting,
I would put my sprout in the warm microwave oven.
May be you could put your sprout in a cooler/douch oven, with a few ice. In a cool spot of your house. Once you get a hang of it, you can show your mama.
I am impressed you did all that home improvement.
Thank you DDD...
DeleteI'm afraid we've given up on sprouts for now. I'm sure we'll try again on another day, but I think we're feeling pretty discouraged.
I remember spouting beans in the distant past. Now I just get them if I happen to be somewhere that has a salad bar--and I can't even remember when the last time that was!
ReplyDeleteHi Kay, we sprout just about any kind of dry beans throughout the year. I thought I should let you know what we do, since the weather in Hawaii is so much like ours (I am in Mumbai) ... We soak the beans , covered in almost double the water for 12 hours. Then pour out the water through a steel bowl with holes, which acts like a strainer. When all the water has gone, I keep this bowl covered in a warm dry place. I get lovely sprouts in 12 hours. If you want longer sprouts, keep the bowl and stuff a bit longer. However, if you still want longer sprouts, I wash the sprouted stuff, and again strain the water away, and keep the things in a warm place, covered.
ReplyDeleteMung beans are very easy to sprout, but do try fenugreek seeds. I have sprouted those too, and they are so very rich in nutrition, much more so than mung. By themselves they are bitter, but the sprouted ones are not, and taste great in salads.
We don't use all these special sprouting containers and citric acid. But in my mother's days , we often used to tie up the soaked beans in a clean white muslin cloth and hang this somewhere in the kitchen, so it did not touch any surface. Got brilliant sprouts the next day . Just my 2 cents worth ....
Thank you so much, Ugich! We will definitely try again and perhaps we'll try getting new seeds. Maybe this was a bad batch. And, maybe we should try it without the citric acid since it didn't help at all. I'm more hopeful now that I know you're able to do it in India.
DeleteIt looks like you've got lots of new ways to try from your readers' comments. I haven't grown sprouts in ages but you reminded me that it might be fun to have them around for salads and whatnot. I do remember they need to be eaten pretty quickly to keep from getting moldy. Better luck next time! :-)
ReplyDeleteI do believe this is the most wonderful part of blogging. We can all help each other with ideas and support each other when things don't work out.
DeleteVery interesting! I especially loved the comments! Good luck next time!
ReplyDeleteWhen you see it done on TV, it looks so simple. Hope you try the tips you have been given. Don't give up.
ReplyDeleteWhat a first try! Let us know if the tofu thing works!!! I'll cheer you one, but don't think I will try this!
ReplyDelete