Sprouting!

Mr. Raw, I am wondering if your mung beans have maybe been irradiated or treated somehow. If your tap water is safe to drink I can't imagine why the beans would be rotting. Have you tried various sources of mung beans to see if the all perform the same? Any way you can warm an area for them if it is cooler temps keeping them from sprouting? Like a mat for reptiles, using the heat of the top of your fridge?A small box or modified cabinet (for air flow while blocking light) set in the sun?

I may have to go back and read as well but I think you said they are often below normal sprouting temps. I hope you soon get it sorted out. Mung are about my favorite sprouts. I've taken a recent liking to lentils. I like them best when the radicle has just emerged though, and mung when they are a considerably longer. first time I tried lentil I let them grow long and did not like...woody and bitter.

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Originally Posted by streetsurfer

Mr. Raw, I am wondering if your mung beans have maybe been irradiated or treated somehow.

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No. Others sprout the same bean with no trouble. We use the same source of beans. They use better water, sprout inside, use plastic sprouters, and have faultless beans. l used to have faultless beans but sprouting outside in the cold weather and bad water combination has been too much and ruined everything. lt has been such a nightmare that l have been throwing them out because it takes far to long to sort out the good beans from the rotted beans. Besides, the tails are barely sprouting on any of them at the moment. l aren't too worried, l know l will find a solution.

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If your tap water is safe to drink I can't imagine why the beans would be rotting.

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lt is well known that tap water can kill beans, but it is also a combination of the weather conditions. The water isn't too bad (not good either) because the beans grow well in warmer weather.

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Have you tried various sources of mung beans to see if the all perform the same?

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ln warmer weather all the various mung go well. Non organic even sprout better. But sometimes the mung from various companies go silly and rot batch after batch. The aduki's are so bad that l have shelved them for the moment.

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Any way you can warm an area for them if it is cooler temps keeping them from sprouting?

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l have a solution coming up in a month because l am ordering some special sprouters where l will be able to keep inside. Until then l will have to deal with much inconvenience.

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I hope you soon get it sorted out.

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So do l. Mung and aduki are some of my major carb meals and l miss them soooo much. At the moment l am stuck eating lots of sprouted peas and grains until l sort out the problem. Fortunately sprouted lentils allow me to keep my sanity.

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Mung are about my favorite sprouts. I've taken a recent liking to lentils.

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They both are awesome foods. l miss mung beans so incredibly much.

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I like them best when the radicle has just emerged though, and mung when they are a considerably longer. first time I tried lentil I let them grow long and did not like...woody and bitter.

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Lentils need to be sprouted much longer so the uric acid is considerably lowered. Never undersprout a lentil, and always sprout in the dark so they don't go all woody.

I have a beautiful batch of mung bean sprouts ready this morning! I heard that they grow best under pressure so I tried it in a steamer. I put the soaked seeds in the steamer, placed a small plate on top of them, then put some heavy weights on top of the plate and covered the whole thing with a lid. Washed them twice a day and replaced the plate, weights and lid each time.

They look so nice I just had to share! These are beans we bought in 1999, so I am surprised they are doing so well!

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/.../Mungbeans.jpg

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Originally Posted by Leone

I have a beautiful batch of mung bean sprouts ready this morning! I heard that they grow best under pressure so I tried it in a steamer. I put the soaked seeds in the steamer, placed a small plate on top of them, then put some heavy weights on top of the plate and covered the whole thing with a lid. Washed them twice a day and replaced the plate, weights and lid each time.

They look so nice I just had to share! These are beans we bought in 1999, so I am surprised they are doing so well!

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/.../Mungbeans.jpg

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Wow, '99. That's great! Did you have a special storage techinque? I don't have my equipment where I am but at home, I try to always vacuum seal my seeds and beans in their jars. between use. My garden seed collection is often in jars like that, and sometimes kept in the icebox. That can extend their viability by a large margin. Do be careful though, of ones that may not have softened so's you don't chip a tooth.

You can certainly tell the difference when weighted down-the thickness and growth of the root. Nice job!

Curious; how many of you float off and remove the green hulls? For a while I spent time doing that with my batches, but finally realized that for appearances sake I was losing some nutrition, so now I eat them as well. They weren't wasted though as they always went to the compost pile. or worm bin.

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Originally Posted by streetsurfer

Did you have a special storage techinque?

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I didn't for these. We have them in a plastic bucket with a lid. That is really why I am so amazed that they are still sprouting! I've just started sprouting and I think I will store the new seeds that we bought in the freezer.

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Originally Posted by streetsurfer

Do be careful though, of ones that may not have softened so's you don't chip a tooth.

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Thank you for the warning!

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Originally Posted by streetsurfer

Curious; how many of you float off and remove the green hulls?

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I tried getting the hulls off, but it took so long I gave up. I don't mind the extra fiber.

I just ate a bowl full of sprouts (mung, peas, alfalfa, clover, radish, lentils) and had some dehydrated crackers made from sprouted millet, quinoa and oats. A couple of cherry tomatoes and half an avocado topped it off. Very nice. I think I could really learn to enjoy eating mainly sprouts. :drool:

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Originally Posted by Leone

I tried getting the hulls off, but it took so long I gave up. I don't mind the extra fiber.

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If you should wish to remove them, what I've found works well is to place the sprouts in a large wide bowl with plenty of water. Grab a handful of sprouts and drop them from a good height above the water; one to two feet. As they strike the water, many of the hulls will dislodge from their seed. Now spin the sprouts in the bowl. A large portion of the hulls will collect either in the center on top or below the sprouts. You can then pull the ones off that are gathered on top with a slotted spoon. This can also be done with a stream of water running into the bowl and some will float over the edge. Remove some sprouts a handfull at a time with a loose handed grip as you shake them about under water. When most sprouts are removed spin again and gather up the hulls that have sunk. A couple times through this process and most are eliminated. This is all done gently so's you don't injure the root tips, or browning will set in.

Thanks Streetsurfer. I'll try that.

Well done Leone. Yes, they do grow better under pressure.

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Originally Posted by Leone

I just ate a bowl full of sprouts (mung, peas, alfalfa, clover, radish, lentils) and had some dehydrated crackers made from sprouted millet, quinoa and oats. A couple of cherry tomatoes and half an avocado topped it off. Very nice. I think I could really learn to enjoy eating mainly sprouts. :drool:

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Now you've got it. You'll thrive doing that like never before. Be proud.

l've just had a smoothie of: kelp, green pea sprouts, mung sprouts, lentil sprouts, amaranth sprouts and rejuvalic. l feel like blasting off to the moon. Nice and filling and will go for hours now. Woot.

Adding resistance is simulating nature, providing conditions akin to their trying to bust through the soil. Provides for stonger healthier plants which in my estimation means better nutrition.

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Originally Posted by streetsurfer

If you should wish to remove them, what I've found works well is to place the sprouts in a large wide bowl with plenty of water. Grab a handful of sprouts and drop them from a good height above the water; one to two feet. As they strike the water, many of the hulls will dislodge from their seed. Now spin the sprouts in the bowl. A large portion of the hulls will collect either in the center on top or below the sprouts. You can then pull the ones off that are gathered on top with a slotted spoon. This can also be done with a stream of water running into the bowl and some will float over the edge. Remove some sprouts a handfull at a time with a loose handed grip as you shake them about under water. When most sprouts are removed spin again and gather up the hulls that have sunk. A couple times through this process and most are eliminated. This is all done gently so's you don't injure the root tips, or browning will set in.

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That will help.

Another good technique is to:

1). put them in a jar and full up with fast water. The hulls will float to the top. Remove the hulls and put gauze wire over the jar (hold the gause there with a rubber band) and empty the water out of the jar by placing it up-side-down. Fill up with water again.

2). repeat step 2 or 3 times until they are nearly all gone. This works the best for me.

l eat many mono meals so l remove a bunch with my fingers while l am eating the sprouts.

My sprouting looks like it's going good so I bought lots of organic seeds to sprout. The sales lady looked surprised with my flax seeds and asked if they sprout. I thought nearly all organic seeds would? Anyone try sprouting flax seeds? Did it work?

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Originally Posted by manker

Anyone try sprouting flax seeds? Did it work?

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l tried it years ago and it was a disaster, the gel stuff made it too difficult. Out of the thousands of seeds l tried sprouting, about 5 seeds grew into little green bushes after two weeks. Then again l see other people have managed to sprout flax easily in 7 days, so it must depend on the seeds.

l've been trying to sprout chia but as predicted it won't sprout either because of all the gel stuff.
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Here is another picture of some of my sprouted chestnuts at their best (l might eat 12 big ones at a major meal). l had no room so l just put them on my sunflower greens for the photo. Sprouted nuts are such a rare food, you don't see much of it around because it takes patience.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...-chestnuts.jpg

Have the sprouted nuts with sunflower greens and alfalfa. lt's a perfect copmbination.

Can we take a moment and discuss rejuvelac??

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/5093/img7360v.jpg
AKA....SPROUT SODA!!!....currently have this on a 48 hour rotation for the base of my green sprout smoothies. I make mine from buckwheat groats as I am not able to find soft winter wheat berries at the moment, having great success with it.



My beautiful Sunflower sprouts...I used unshelled organic seed from whole foods...I had so much that I planted some around the garden...(this was an experiment b/c I was told that they needed to be IN the shell to make good sprouts - not true!!)
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3775/img7350p.jpg

I also got my sesame seeds to sprout in a hemp bag with a little more patience. :) Great results so far!

Mung beans and Lentils getting some sun on the window sill...
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/3096/img7353u.jpg

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Originally Posted by manker

My sprouting looks like it's going good so I bought lots of organic seeds to sprout. The sales lady looked surprised with my flax seeds and asked if they sprout. I thought nearly all organic seeds would? Anyone try sprouting flax seeds? Did it work?

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I sprout them but I find that they ferment a little...

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Originally Posted by Mr Raw

Here is another picture of some of my sprouted chestnuts at their best (l might eat 12 big ones at a major meal). l had no room so l just put them on my sunflower greens for the photo.
Have the sprouted nuts with sunflower greens and alfalfa. lt's a perfect copmbination.

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These are GORGEOUS!!! WOW! :drool: