Simple sprouting - Black-eyed Beans & Mung

Kitchen countertop sprouting is one of tools of a raw food lifestyle. Why eat sprouts? Why sprout it ourselves when you can get them so cheaply?

Sprouting transforms a simple seed to a powerhouse of enzymes and goodness. From wiki:

Sprouts are said to be rich in digestible energy, bioavailable vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, and phytochemicals, as these are necessary for a germinating plant to grow.[3] These nutrients are essential for human health.

I remember a farmer friend telling me about why his family would never eat the thick succulent bean sprouts easily available everywhere here in Singapore. He said that if I had witnessed the amount of growth stimulants and fungicides that the sprouts growers use I would think the same. And he said, "Did you know that the sprout growers would never eat the sprouts they grow for the commercial market? They will grow a pail for themselves, separately, without the chemicals."

I know what he meant by the need for fungicides for growing sprouts on a large commercial scale. If you had grown sprouts before,  you will know the heat they produce in germination and growth and how they need space and baths to grow well. The repeated use of the containers/space for growing the sprouts will encourage the growth of fungus. If these containers and environments are not  sterilised after use, microscopic spores will adhere to surfaces and fungi will proliferate. This is especially so in our hot humid weather.

Hence, I am not one for buying elaborate sprouting systems that self-waters etc - unless - you are prepared to diligently sterilise the equipment after use with hot boiling water or hydrogen peroxide.

Small scale counter-top sprouting is a neat solution - using the simplest sieves, containers, baskets etc. The are easy and convenient to clean and produces just enough for the week.

Here I showcase two very easy to grow sprouts: the mung and black-eyed beans. The latter tastes very much like water-chestnuts when they sprout.

Step 1: Measure out and soak
Keeping in mind that these sprouts will double if not triple the original volume, measure out the amount you want to sprout - say half a cup of each. Soak overnight in filtered water and discard water.

Step 2: Stand, bathe and grow
Place the soaked beans in sieves suspended over bowls and cover everything with a wet cloth. Try not to have a huge amount of sprouts in a sieve because the heat generated will encourage rot especially when you forget to bathe them regularly. Bathe the beans at intervals - maybe every two hours, or everytime you walk into the kitchen. Bathing means putting them under the 'shower' and then draining the water away.

Step 3: Halt, chill and then grow again
For those who are working, place the sprouts in the fridge when you are out of the house. Take them out again when you are home and continue to bathe them at intervals. At night, just bathe them before you get to bed and again when they wake up.

Harvest them any length you want. Place them in the fridge where they can last the week.

Add them salads, soups or smoothies.