Sprouting

[Kevster]

Any keen sprouters out there? The nutritious little sprouts are to be seen in plenty of health food shops in England these days, how many people have started to sprout some seeds?

[Gorilla]

Kev, i have bought a sprouting kit but have yet to try anything yet. so i haven't voted either yes or no at the moment - when i get going with my kit i will get back to you!

[Artichoke47]

I just started sprouting about two weeks ago, and boy, am I enjoying it! The first batch turned out well, and the second batch had to be dumped due to white fuzzy stuff on the seeds, so now I am working on No. 3, which is fine so far.

[ConsciousCuisine]

I do not use a sprouting kit or a "sprouter". I use a jar or a bowl.

Artichoke, sorry that happened! What a bummer.

Sometimes some sprouts develop white parts that are normal parts of the sprout- mung bean sprouts, for instance often develop a very "fuzzy-frayed" look and when you look very closely, they are just extensions of the root forms branching off.

Sprouts are extremely nutritious, a great source of easily digested and assimilated amino acids and protein, are very inexpensive to "make" at home and childern love being part of the sprouting process.

I eat sprouts daily. Yum!

[harpy]

I use one of those three-tier tray thingies, which makes rinsing very quick. I like to have some on the go because it means I can have something fresh even if I've forgotten to go shopping.

I had a few problems with mine in the summer when it got very warm - I didn't seem to be able to rinse them often enough to keep them fresh. Fortunately the summer was pretty short here

I sprouted some leek seeds last week - they were weird, such a strong taste of leek from such a tiny plant.

[foxytina_69]

anyone have any ideas on what to use sprouts in? i like them on my sandwiches but thats all i know of

[harpy]

I put mine in salads as well, or add them to stir-fries etc just before serving (they don't really need cooking but I usually cook ones like chickpeas a bit as I find them indigestible raw). Or I just grab a handful when I walk past

[Artichoke47]

Sometimes some sprouts develop white parts that are normal parts of the sprout- mung bean sprouts, for instance often develop a very "fuzzy-frayed" look and when you look very closely, they are just extensions of the root forms branching off.

Thank you, CC, for the further information. My new ones that I started on Tuesday had that tonight before I gave them their shower. It's a fuzzy-looking white substance. I just didn't want to take any chances of eating contaminated, moldy food. I will keep an eye on these and keep sprouting away and see how they turn out. The fuzzies go away when I rinse the seeds/sprouts. Is that normal for a branching off part?

[Mystic]

I love Essene bread, which is sprouted grains mushed up into a dough and shaped into a loaf. I think it is baked at low temperature and is considered 'raw' - but I am not certain of this. The varieties available are:
- Wheat
- Wheat with dates and walnuts
- Essene Supreme (rye/wheat mix)
- Essene Supreme with dates and walnuts
- Essene Supreme with sultanas
- Rye
- Kamut
- Spelt

I also buy snowpea sprouts and alfalfa often. I also enjoy broccoli sprouts, bean shoots, lentil sprouts and chickpea sprouts - although I don't have them much.

I don't make them because, to be frank and honest, I am lazy and cannot be bothered when they only cost me $2 per week from the shop (Well the bread is $5+ but that really is a lot of work!)

CC, is essene bread really healthy?

[Veganmama]

I'm a keen sprouter. I always have some going, my favourites are
Mung Beans, Lentils, Chickpeas, Rye and sunflower seeds.

They are great by themselves, or you can make Raw Hummous with the CHickpeas i like them in wraps with avocado. Yummmm

[uww27225]

Wow! I feel silly. I though sprouts just meant alfalfa. I didn't realize there were other kinds. I grew up kinda sheltered. The only veggies we ever had came from a can b/c my stepdad doesn't like them any other way.

[Aurora]

I've got one of those 3 tiered plastic things too. My seeds went all mouldy in the jar I was using before. But now I get 100% success.

[feline01]

I am interested in sprouting but have never done it before and am very intimidated. I saw a plastic easy-sprouter on one of the vegan sites, www.veganessentials, I think that you just add the beans, water and put it in a dark place for a few days. Does anyone know if that sort of thing actually works or is there another way to sprout that doesn't involve buying special apparatus? My husband looooves bean sprouts, the kind you get in Chinese restaurants. What kind of bean is typically used for those? Thanks.

[Artichoke47]

I got a sprouting greenhouse from this site: http://www.sprouthouse.com/
and also ordered some seeds. It's really easy. You soak the seeds for 8 to 10 hours in water. Then you put the seeds in the tray and proceed to rinse them twice daily, putting them back in the greenhouse, using natural sunlight (through a window, I suppose), and then they are done after about 6-7 days. You are supposed to rinse them and then place them in a baggie and then they keep for up to 2 weeks, but you are still supposed to rinse them every 3 days or so.

It is better to do your own sprouting at home because of the cleanliness issues and also you can buy organic, which isn't available at most stores.

[ConsciousCuisine]

is there another way to sprout that doesn't involve buying special apparatus? What kind of bean is typically used for those? Thanks.

Yes, you can easily sprout in a jar, a bowl or in a "greenhouse" flat. Some people have had issues with mold this way; personally it hasn't been an issue for me.

Mung beans (little green beans) are used to make the bean sprouts found in most Chinese dishes. I n addition to the ways they are more traditionally used, they make great raw salads as well...

[boomer]

I use the small plastic one and leave it in a warm cupboard for three days or so just topping up the water and they do great.
I always sprout alfalfa, mung and spicy fenugreek, the 1st and last being for salads and sandwiches.
Most places that sell the trays give comprehensive instructions and if you get it from the same place as the seeds they tend to be the most useful.

[feline01]

So if we live in a small apartment with no useable windowsills (the cat has taken over any window sill), I can still sprout? How come some sprouting devices need sunlight and others need a warm cupboard?

[boomer]

I have a book at home that goes through all details, If you don't get help via another poster, I will PM you later. All I can remember is that it has somthing to do with the colour and they will grow as long as the temp is right.

[Kim[ba]]

I'm attempting to sprout a mix of soy beans, mung beans, and great northern's. There were some stuck at the bottom of the sink that started to sprout last night and it tickled me so I thought I would try to make some instead of eating the ones out of the bottom of the sink. From what I've read though they can get bad contamination so I used distilled water and nuked a glass jar in the microwave to sterilize it. I was just wondering if this is good safety measures or is there anything else I need to worry about?

[DianeVegan]

I sprout all the time and have never had any problems with contamination (that I know about). It's the same as eating any other food that may become contaminated (like eggs or chicken or ground beef or salad bars or.......) Don't feed raw sprouts to children, the elderly, or anyone else with a weak immune system.

Now get sprouting!

[mssara1214]

That sounds like tons of fun! But where could I get soy bean seeds and things like that?

[DianeVegan]

Sara, Wild Oats or Whole Foods have organic seeds to sprout. They even have sprouting kits. Their seeds are not irradiated and are organic so I would suggest using them. You can look up sprouting instructions on the internet or maybe at the library. I will say that sprouting takes about 3-5 days and requires rinsing 2-3 times a day before using them. But if you use them much then it's worth it.

[moochbabe]

I have a raw cookbook on sprouting and have been thinking about trying it, but for some reason I've been a little nervous to try, I'm probably afraid I'll mess up. But this thread kind of inspired me to, I think I will soon. It's so cool, I get so much inspiration from this forum, even when I feel inspirational-less.

[ConsciousCuisine]

That sounds like tons of fun! But where could I get soy bean seeds and things like that?

Please do not eat soy bean sprouts; they are believed to be toxic

Carry on!

[Gliondrach]

I can't vouch for everything on these sites - actually, I haven't given them a good going over - but they seem vegan friendly.


http://www.living-foods.com/articles/sprouting.html

http://www.primalseeds.org/sprouting.htm

http://www.cityfarmer.org/sprout86.html

[moochbabe]

Good to know about the soy bean sprouting, thanx for the tip, I had no idea!

[my3labs]

Are you serious about the soy bean sprouts? or is that sarcasm?

[moochbabe]

Who was that question to about the soy beans my3labs?

[DianeVegan]

I have read that soybean sprouts need to be cooked (whereas others may be eaten raw), to increase their digestibility.

However, if any seeds were treated with pesticides, fungicides or mercury then they would yield toxic sprouts. Make sure the seeds are organic and food-grade. Also keep in mind that the U.S. requires certain (all?) imported seeds to be dyed for identification purposes - so don't use them. And finally, don't use seeds that have any signs of mold since the mycotoxins may make you sick.

This information was taken from several books and pamphlets - maybe if I had done an internet search I would have found the information that ConsciousCuisine mentions.

[ConsciousCuisine]

This information was taken from several books and pamphlets - maybe if I had done an internet search I would have found the information that ConsciousCuisine mentions.

My information comes from books, Doctors and other reputable sources, not a random internet search, but I am sure the information is out there as well.

Raw soybean sprouts aren't a good thing to eat. They need to be cooked in order to be digestable and to reduce toxicity.

I would personally never cook sprouts unless I had sprouted a huge batch of lentil or mung sprouts or something similar and had some left over that would go to waste if I didn't cook them before they spoiled.

[ConsciousCuisine]

Are you serious about the soy bean sprouts? or is that sarcasm?

Serious as can be Avoiding soy bean sprouts is one amongst a few accepted "Raw rules" in the raw community.

To each his own though; I am just going off of the information I have and believe to be true...for instance, some people eat raw potato and that's not a good idea either, but so be it.

[Kim[ba]]

mmmm...I love raw potato but I know it's toxic so I never eat much of it. Good to know about the soybean thing. I read in another thread that most soybeans are imported anyways. I'm not sure if the mung beans or any other beans I have are imported or dyed, but they are organic.

Oh yeah, I don't think I sprouted that 3 bean mix right either. I checked on it yesterday and it smelled worse than crap so I threw it out.

[Seaside]

Yes, Conscious Cuisine is right about eating raw sprouted soybeans. They should be cooked if you want to eat them.

I think the problem with sprout safety comes from buying them from stores rather than sprouting them yourself. You don't know how they are being handled when you buy them, but you do know that you are washing your hands and utensils yourself.

You will get the best results by sprouting each bean or seed separately, as they all have different growth rates. Some will get too old and bitter while others will not even be sprouted yet if you try to sprout a mixture.

It is worth getting a good sprout book, though, and giving it a serious try. Sprouts are delicious. I especially love sprouted pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and sprouted almonds. Some feel that almonds do not sprout when soaked, but I have seen the little tails growing on mine. Soaked almonds are delicious, too, and make much nicer almond milk, if you like to make your own.

[Gliondrach]

I've read somewhere, I think in one of those links I gave earlier in this thread, that alfalfa sprouts can be contaminated. I never liked sprouting them as they are too small and get washed away when you rinse them.

[Seaside]

I've read somewhere, I think in one of those links I gave earlier in this thread, that alfalfa sprouts can be contaminated. I never liked sprouting them as they are too small and get washed away when you rinse them.

One of my sprouting books discusses some controversy about whether alfalfa sprouts are good for you, whether you buy them or sprout them yourself.

[DianeVegan]

ConciousCuisine,

Do you dry and grind your sprouts for bread? I remember you stating on another thread that you grind your own flour. I am very interested in this and would like to know which grinder you have found to be the best.

[moochbabe]

I have been thinking about sprouting to make bread too, but would that mean that after u sprout u have to dry them out? Sorry, i', so uninformed when it comes to this, all the breads i make are yeastless breads. thanx!

[Seaside]

You can sprout wheat or rye grains, and use them fresh if you grind them in a juicer that has a grain and nut grinding attachment. You can dehydrate them, too, I guess, but then you might have to use a different sort of grinder.

[Pob]

How do people eat their sprouts, I just tend to add mine to a stir fry?
Sometimes I munch a few raw, but not many.

What other ways of eating them are there?

[moochbabe]

I'll definately try just using my sprouts as soon as they've sprouted for bread then, thanx for clearing that up for me!

I like to my sprouts into pretty much everything, sandwiches, scrambled tofu, pita rollups...mmm

[piggy]

Yes, you can easily sprout in a jar, a bowl or in a "greenhouse" flat. Some people have had issues with mold this way; personally it hasn't been an issue for me.

Mung beans (little green beans) are used to make the bean sprouts found in most Chinese dishes. I n addition to the ways they are more traditionally used, they make great raw salads as well...

How exactly do you go about sprouting without any type of special equipment?
Is it ok to use any type of bowl or jar?
Is it possible to use any type of beans or seeds, or do only some of them sprout?
Most importantly, can I use normal supermarket-bought beans? I don't have access to any other type...
I'd be grateful for any help..I'm a total novice at this.

[harpy]

You don't need special equipment but you do need a way to rinse the seeds thoroughly to keep them fresh (and wet). You need to do this twice a day.

The usual suggestion is a jar with muslin fixed over the mouth with a rubber band. You could probably use an old net curtain or part of a pair of tights instead of the muslin. The idea I think is to pour the water in and out through the muslin (or whatever) so the seeds don't escape. As an alternative, you could just use a saucer etc and rinse the beans in a fine sieve.

You can sprout beans like mung or aduki beans from the supermarket. Personally I use organic ones when I can. For seeds I think they usually suggest buying the special ones for sprouting as the others may be coated with pesticides etc

There are sprouting web sites that will give you an idea of what is suitable for sprouting - this one for example: http://www.primalseeds.org/sprouting.htm

[Cherry]

Weird timing Kevster .

I had a sprout and pepper salad tonight. Very nice. Sprouted sunflower, mung bean, lentil and chickpea - strangely enough I got the seeds from the big health food shop in Leeds.

I had a bit of an argument a couple of days ago with someone on a yahoo veggie group about sprouting! (About whether they had to be on a windowsill.) It's quite amusing really but made me feel really uncomfortable. I don't like conflicts, and if you're going to have a conflict it should really be about something a bit more crucial!

[piggy]

Thank you for that info, harpy. I read on that site, that you're not supposed to cram the legumes. Which mean a jar wouldn't work so well. Have you tried with a jar? Did it work?
I don't really have the space to sprout in a tray, a jar would be ideal for me.

I'm mainly interested in sprouting legumes. Would it work with kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas?

What about pumpkin seeds, are the ones you usually get in supermarkets (the white ones) raw, or have they been treated?

[harpy]

I have got a sprouter and it's just a stack of little plastic trays. The base is about eight inches square I think so it doesn't actually take up much room.

I think though that a jar would be fine for legumes as long as you didn't fill it too full and shoogled them about a bit when rinsing. In my sprouter I tend to put them about 2 or 3 beans deep.

Chickpeas and lentils work OK - I wouldn't do it with kidney beans because there is some toxin in them that means that you need to boil them for 10 mins before eating and I don't know whether sprouting would get rid of it; better safe than sorry. Actually I find sprouted chickpeas a bit indigestible so I tend to cook them lightly before eating which is probably sprouting heresy

Not sure if you can do pumpkin seeds but you certainly can sunflower seeds - I use the shelled ones.

[speedylemons]

ooo i just bought a sprouter off ebay [used and stuff.. .i like to do this better than buying new things.] and a huuuuge thing of all sorts of seeds to sprout. I'm really excited!!! haha. I need a life.

[lolamako]

Living and Raw Foods: Sprouting: a brief overview

You all have motivated me, I am gonna try this!

[princessemma]

I had some lovely sprouted beans at the viva show in Wembley, yum! I like to watch my weigh so finding food that is tasty, nutrious, vegan and low fat needs a little planning. How can I get my beans to sprout without them going bad? Which ones work best and how long do they keep?

[grail]

I just started sprouting some mung beans this weekend. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

[moochbabe]

how exciting grail! i accidentally sprouted some peas not long ago...they were great!