Grow mung bean sprouts

a Whole Foods Market Customer
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3 Comments

Archita P. May 12, 2012
Hi Whole Foods Customer,

Sprouting Mung Beans is simple. We sprout them in India all the time. You don't need any special hardware. No one in India has a sprouting jar....I hadn't even heard about them until recently.

Here is what you will need: Mung beans (duh!), A large enough container (e.g. a steel pot, a plastic container). A metal pot or container is good to use because it keeps the beans in the dark. But, its okay if you don't have one. You will also need Paper towel. That's it.

1. The previous night: Rinse the Mung Beans under running hot tap water for a minute or two. In a sauce pan or pot warm up water (more than enough to cover the beans) (you can use tap water or distilled water it doesn't matter). You don't want to boil this water, but you want it to be hot enough that when you touch it you can feel it being really hot. Generally, the water is hot enough when it forms tiny bubbles. Once the water is hot enough add the rinsed mung beans. Cover with a lid and leave to soak over night.

2. the next day the beans will have absorbed water and increased in size. drain them. go through the beans and discard any that are still dry and hard.

3. Place the drained mung beans in a container of your choice. Take a paper towel. Soak it in water and squeeze the water out of it. Place this towel on top of the beans (so as to cover all the beans), cover the container with a lid (if it doesn't have a lid use a dinner plate (anything really). Place in a oven (obviously, that's not on) (or any dark warm spot ).

4. The beans will sprout based on the temperature of your house. So, check on them and if the towel dries out make it damp again. I never take out the beans and rinse them or anything. Choose the amount of time you want to sprout them depending on how you like them and how warm it is in your house.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions about this.
 
susan G. May 12, 2012
The mung bean sprouts you buy commercially have been grown using high intensity techniques. Expect home sprouted beans to be somewhat smaller. After reaching a medium size, they are at risk of going bad. Easy to do and worth doing.
 
Sam1148 May 11, 2012
Ignore the pricey specialty jars, growers--unless you're growing in bulk. Don't waste your money.
For hardware all you need is a jar, a rubber band, cheese cloth, or some type of mesh--fine nylon mesh or screen that can be secured on the mouth of the jar. A fine mesh or double or triple folded cheese cloth is needed of alfalfa sprouts because of the tiny seeds, not so much for mung beans.

All you need then is the seeds. Health foods stores should have them in bulk.

A table spoon of the seeds in the jar fill with water let soak over night, put on the mesh on the jar and drain and rinse leaving just a bit of water. Keep rinsing them a few days--light isn't an issue at this point in fact keep them in the dark until they really start sprouting..then a window sill for a day or so to activated some of the green bits. Give them a rinse every day while their spouting--leaving behind just a bit of water and draining through the mesh. After they've spouted just rinse well and store them in the 'fridge and start another batch.
 
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