Bean sprouts

apple_mint

Soaked some mung beans over night (yesterday) and put them in a jam jar covered with muslin, have rinsed them out 2 - 3 times a day and now they are starting to sprout nicely. I've read they take 3-4 days to be fully sprouted.

When they are ready - can I eat them attached to the original mung beans or do I have to pull the sprouts off the beans? I've never noticed any beans attached to the sprouts in the shops but perhaps that's not the way to do it at home?

Ted_Hutchinson

The outer husk of the sprout contains valuable fibre, is not unpleasant and I always eat it.

If you don't like the look of it then you can let the sprout grow a little longer till the husk is shed and then place sprouts in a large jug and put under running cold water tap. If you get the flow rate right the husks will come floating off and the sprout get well rinsed.
You may also find putting the sprouts in a large bowl of water allowing them to stand a bit then lifting the sprouts out with a perforated spoon leaves some husks on the bottom.

However If you leave the husks with the sprout you will be sure you are getting all the nutritional benefits from the seed/grain.

apple_mint

Thanks Ted, I think I'll try keeping the husks as I want to get as much goodness as I can from the sprout. Thank you for the quick response. Growing the sprouts appears to be so easy I'm going to try some different beans as well.

apprentice_tycoon

Alfalfa is a lovely one to grow and eat, it's even quicker than the mung beans - I was given a Lakeland sprouter set as a pressie and it's very easy to use, they suggest that the 'spent' water that drips down to the bottom is good for houseplants

arkonite_babe

I haven't grown these since I was a kid, but a far as I can remember, we used to eat all of the bits. Never did us any harm!

HTH