bad smelling chick pea sprouts

[Juicing Juli]

Do these smell bad or are mind bad??? I smelled them as I was washing them during the sprouting process. Today I made hummus and they still smell bad. The hummus tastes good, but it's in the back of my mind that they might be bad!!!! :confused

[Juicing Juli]

mine, not mind....

[DebB]

Hi Juli ~ I've only sprouted chick peas a couple of times (because they're very difficult for me to digest), however they never smelled bad. Hopefully you'll get some more replies.

(We now live in WA State - but I'm originally from McHenry, NW of Chicago and it's now considered a suburb. It's by Crystal Lake & Woodstock way - so hello!)

[Juicing Juli]

well that's helpful Deb. My intuition told me that they were bad, despite washing/rinsing them a few times a day.

I played tennis in Crystal Lake about a month ago with my ladies team. I'm a good hour south.

I just got an email from a client who returned from Seattle and he said he was stuck there all week due to bad weather. He said that the whole state is in a state of emergency????

[rawmiss]

I've always had that problem with chickpeas too and I've been reading about it because I want to start sprouting them again. I think the trick is to sprout them in a small mixing bowl so they have a lot of airflow and rinse them several times a day. It's also a good idea to move them around while rising so as to really get them clean.

I think I did it this way a long time ago and I got good results.

[DebB]

Hi Juli ~ Well, small world this :) We were very hard hit by that snow storm, schools & businesses closed, etc. In our area though it was not a state of emergency - but we're 4 hours from Seattle.

I just thought of this after reading rawmiss's post above - the times I've sprouted chick peas, I did sprout them in a nut milk bag where they were hanging for total air flow. So, perhaps that's why I had no bad smell?

I bought a 3 pack of "produce bags" (for sale in the produce department of Fred Meyers, which is owned by Kroger) and they were cheap - around $3-4. Those would work great for sprouting as they have a drawstring and you can suspend them for max. air flow. Don't give up!

[Juicing Juli]

Really, Rawmiss, you've had the same problem? I may call the Sproutpeople and ask about it. So, when yours smelled bad, did you still use them or toss them? I made this hummus that I've eaten, but I'm thinking I should toss.
thanks for your post!

[rawmiss]

I've always had problems with chickpeas, and about half of my chickpeas would end up being bad, and I would end up tossing them if they smelled bad. I think I've eaten spoiled chickpeas before and ended up feeling sick. Now, they will always have a smell, but the smell should be similar to what they smelled like when they were freshly soaked and not a rotten smell.

The research I've done indicates that this is a common problem and people talk about having to rinse them 3-4 times a day to keep them from spoiling. Another option is to use them ASAP and I've read recipes where they use them after only sprouting a couple days.

I haven't sprouted in years, and I've found that sprouting is totally optional to a raw food diet and I really haven't missed it. But I do like chickpeas when they turn out OK, and adding enough lemon juice seems to be the key to making them palatable.

[Traceyraw]

Hi Juli, I tried a couple of times too . Finally I had to make them in a single layer but then they are so crunchy I didn't even want to eat them :( Lentils are my favorite and they are really easy too. They taste great in a salad with carrots.Good Luck.

[rawgirl00]

I sprout chick peas without a problem. I use a sprouter and rinse them about 3x a day.

If any of my sprouts ever smell funky I don't use them. - This usually happens when I forget about them & forget to rinse on a regualr basis

[Juicing Juli]

I'm trying again. This time I will rinse them 4-5xs vs. 3!! I was conscious of the smell after soaking and there is a strong smell, but it's the chick peas.
thanks for all of your input!!!

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

I'm trying again. This time I will rinse them 4-5xs vs. 3!! I was conscious of the smell after soaking and there is a strong smell, but it's the chick peas.
thanks for all of your input!!!

l have sprouted lots of chickpeas over time. There may be many reasons for why the chickpeas could be failing. First of all, let me ask you some questions.

1). Are any other sprouts going bad, or is it just the chickpeas?

2). Do you live in a hot climate?

3). What are ou sprouting them in?

No need to wash chickpeas 5 times a day, 2 - 3 times a day is more than enough if the temperiture isn't 110 degree +. lf it is 110 degree +, then place them in a cooler area. Also: try sprouting for no more than 3 days, if you still have problems, sprout them for 2 days.

Chickpeas should never smell bad, it is actually the opposite, they smell lovely when sprouted.

There could be various reasons why the chickpeas are failing:
* old/poor quality seeds
* not enough air flow
* chemicals in water supply - it can have a terrible effect on peas and beans.
* not washing them well enough. Sometimes peas and beans can be a nightmare, sometimes conventional sprouters won't solve the problem. What you might need to do is hit them with a good hard spray of water so all the bacteria comes off (this is wear conventional sprouters fail), spray them until the wash water becomes clear. lf you are rinsing your sprouts and cloudy water comes off, that is potentially a BIG problem and shows your sprouts are being invaded with nasties.
* not draining them properly.


So yes, there are lots of potential issues here. Sometimes it is easily solved, other times it takes massive effort to sort it out.

[SunshineMN]

I'm having the same problem with quinoa. Every time I try sprouting them they smell bad after a day or two. We're rinsing them 3 times a day with RO water and they drain sitting at a 45 degree angle. We use glass quart jars with wire mesh lids or a very loose woven cloth. It's the only thing that hasn't sprouted for us so far. Btw, can you sprout poppy seeds? Are they worth sprouting?

[MysticTree]

I'm having the same problem with quinoa. Every time I try sprouting them they smell bad after a day or two. We're rinsing them 3 times a day with RO water and they drain sitting at a 45 degree angle. We use glass quart jars with wire mesh lids or a very loose woven cloth. It's the only thing that hasn't sprouted for us so far. Btw, can you sprout poppy seeds? Are they worth sprouting?

I only sprout quinoa over night. They are sort of only just sprouted and they are very good. Maybe you could try sprouting for a shorter time and also - because they are a small seed - use very little in each jar.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

I'm having the same problem with quinoa. Every time I try sprouting them they smell bad after a day or two. We're rinsing them 3 times a day with RO water and they drain sitting at a 45 degree angle. We use glass quart jars with wire mesh lids or a very loose woven cloth. It's the only thing that hasn't sprouted for us so far. Btw, can you sprout poppy seeds? Are they worth sprouting?

Could be many reasons why the quinoa is rotting. The most obvious reason would be that they are hulled (had the outside casing removed). Most quinoa is hulled l believe.


Btw, can you sprout poppy seeds? Are they worth sprouting?
Are poppy seeds worth sprouting? OH YES!!! They are perhaps the greatest most nutritious seed known to man. You think sesame and sunflower are awesome...well these babies blow those two powerhouses away and buries them in the ground. 5 tablespoons of those will give you at least 3,000 mg of calcium (3 times the rda), but it could even be up to 6 times the rda. Calcium is notoriously low in diets and many vegans are supposed suffer from it, but this little jewel solves all those problems with ease.

Unfortunately the poppy seeds cannot sprout in modern day countries, so 5 tablespoons of soaked poppy seed would probably give you about 1,500 mg of calcium, still way more than any other food on Earth. l tried sprouting my poppy seeds, some grew little hairs and tiny shoots, but they were half dead and couldn't grow properly and ended up rotting and dying within 2 days. l think it is best to go with sprouted sesame and sunflower, they are winners!

l believe a company does get powered sprouted poppy seeds that have been irradiated. That's all you can do unless you live in the poorer countries.

[MysticTree]

Unfortunately the poppy seeds cannot sprout in modern day countries, so 5 tablespoons of soaked poppy seed would probably give you about 1,500 mg of calcium, still way more than any other food on Earth. l tried sprouting my poppy seeds, some grew little hairs and tiny shoots, but they were half dead and couldn't grow properly and ended up rotting and dying within 2 days. l think it is best to go with sprouted sesame and sunflower, they are winners!

Nonsense. Poppies sprout fine. Get some seeds from an organic supplier and grow a whole bed full of beautiful poppies and then save the seeds for sprouting. You need these Papaver somniferum and Papaver paeoniflorum.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Nonsense. Poppies sprout fine. Get some seeds from an organic supplier and grow a whole bed full of beautiful poppies and then save the seeds for sprouting.

They sprout, what??? That gives me some hope then. l've spoken to various organic suppliers and they all tell me they are irradiated, but l can try to convince a special local shop to supply them (they get stuff through customs without irradiation). They are raw fooders who work there (100% raw), so they do know there stuff.

Wait...l made a mistake, l was thinking of powdered Hemp seeds from 3rd world countries, but l still say that poppy seeds are as good as it gets. l tried to get hemp seeds, but no hope what-so-ever. Even Brian Clement can't get hemp seeds for sprouting, and if he can't get them, no-one can.

[MysticTree]

They sprout, what??? That gives me some hope then. l've spoken to various organic suppliers and they all tell me they are irradiated, but l can try to convince a special local shop to supply them (they get stuff through customs without irradiation). They are raw fooders who work there (100% raw), so they do know there stuff.

Wait...l made a mistake, l was thinking of powdered Hemp seeds from 3rd world countries, but l still say that poppy seeds are as good as it gets. l tried to get hemp seeds, but no hope what-so-ever. Even Brian Clement can't get hemp seeds for sprouting, and if he can't get them, no-one can.

He's not looking very far. They are easy to find. Illegal (even the ones for non-drug use) but a breeze!

[Mickey]

Hi Juli ~ I've only sprouted chick peas a couple of times (because they're very difficult for me to digest), however they never smelled bad. Hopefully you'll get some more replies.

(We now live in WA State - but I'm originally from McHenry, NW of Chicago and it's now considered a suburb. It's by Crystal Lake & Woodstock way - so hello!)

That's crazy, I grew up in Libertyville, also NW of Chicago in Lake County and our high school played against Crystal Lake. My photography teacher/mentor lives in Woodstock!

I live in Los Angeles now, which has been such an incredible relief from the unpredictable winter weather rollercoaster that is the Chicagoland area! I do miss all my friends and family back home.

[streetsurfer]

Set a mini fan a few feet from your sprouting station. Keep in mind the larger the bean or seed the more rinsing it will take. Swirl them gently and even let soak a few minutes each rinse. It is equally important to let them dry well enough between rinses. A fan helps here. It's the expansion and contraction that comes with that which helps them open and grow. If you should begin to pick up a faint odor you can take citric acid powder (vitamin C or ascorbic acid) and add to the rinse water to retard spoilage, and remove oxidation.

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo346/pasomoto/photo-7.jpg

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

It is equally important to letthem dry well enough between rinses.

Never thought about that, makes sense. Excellent point.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Some newly sprouted chickpeas with a decent tail (l like a decent tail, but if l have problems l will grow them with a much shorter tail): can use the jar method at the moment because they are behaving themselves. During winter l will need to use the tray method or use jars in a box under lights.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b151/Marc_au/Ron1/Ron2/Ron%204/Ron%205/Ron%206/Sprouts-chickpeas1.jpg

Notice how full of water the jar is with the chickpeas (left of pic), those chickpeas will suck up much of that water during the night. The other two seeds are sunflower and rye.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b151/Marc_au/Ron1/Ron2/Ron%204/Ron%205/Ron%206/Sprouts-chickpeas2.jpg

l also use four layers of special mesh to keep the bugs out. lf l only used one layer l would have about 100 little bugs flying around the jar after a day of sprouting. So many creatures like invading my sprouts...slugs, snails, rats, bugs etc.

Another thing...it has been very hot over here, but l am only washing the chickpeas once a night with great success. No bad smell. l feel the minimal rinsing has something to do with the mesh l am using...once a day during summer is unheard of.

[tolondontoparis]

My sprouted lentils taste terrible, like dry unsprouted ones, but they clearly have tails. Did I do something wrong, or is that just how they are supposed to taste?

[DebB]

My sprouted lentils taste terrible, like dry unsprouted ones, but they clearly have tails. Did I do something wrong, or is that just how they are supposed to taste?

I can only speak for myself, but I don't care for the taste of raw sprouted lentils... so I no longer sprout them to eat raw. Others like them just fine though!

[tolondontoparis]

I can only speak for myself, but I don't care for the taste of raw sprouted lentils... so I no longer sprout them to eat raw. Others like them just fine though!

I am beginning to think that is how they are supposed to taste, and I don't like it either. Do you have any sprout suggestions?

[DebB]

I am beginning to think that is how they are supposed to taste, and I don't like it either. Do you have any sprout suggestions?

Do I! (wink) My favorites are sprouted alfalfa and red clover. I've tried sprouting other seeds such as radish, broccoli, spicy blends - but I don't care for those. I enjoy the mild flavor of alfalfa and red clover the best! And they're easy easy to sprout. They only take about 5 days and they're ready to eat :)