Thursday, April 8, 2010

Sprouting Mung Beans



I like to sprout!  

I have had delicious success with Alfalfa seeds.  So I thought it was time to branch out and give another variety of sprouts a try.  Enter organic Mung beans.  So I purchased some and gave it my best.  How did it go??



My Mung beans grew like weeds!  Even when I failed to water them as frequently as I should have, they still turned out amazing--crisp and juicy!  With their mild flavor, I can see why they would make an ideal snack, a lively addition to salads, or a perfect choice in any Asian dish.  Plus, these sprouts were giants compared to the Alfalfa shoots!  But of course, the Mung beans were much larger than the Alfalfa seeds to begin with, so it makes sense.  Most importantly they were refreshing and healthy!  You can order exactly what I purchased at this Handy Pantry Distributors link, as well as read a brief summary of Mung bean nutrition.  It's rather impressive actually! 

 I did miss my "day five" photograph.  Boo.  So if you notice a huge difference between my sprout's growth in a couple of the pics, you'll know why.


I really do hope you give sprouting a try!  If you want lots of how-to details, check out my "I Can Sprout!" blog post, where I chronicle my experience with Alfalfa seeds.  Simply treat the Mung beans with the same kind of care.  The only difference I noticed was that the Mung growing cycle seems to be about 48 hours less than the Alfalfa; I'm not certain to what length these sprouts are supposed to get, but I think I gave my batch a day too many.  Also, be sure not to over fill your jar with beans initially--they need room to grow!  One to two tablespoons will do the trick.


Just remember, sprouting is much easier than it appears to be, so take heart!  I know you can do it!

 Day Two- Mung emergence!

Day Three- Just look at those cute little tails!
  
Day Four- The Mung sprouts are casting off their hulls!

Day Five (No Photo)
I remember the jar was three-quarters full. They were probably ready to eat on this day, but for what ever reason, I neglected them. How sad.


Day Six- Jam packed! These babies are just begging to be released from captivity!


Now it's your turn to grow a batch of sprouts!  I wish you the very best of luck!

6 comments:

Keri - I Eat Trees said...

That's so cool! I'm definitely going to try sprouting!! :)

The Voracious Vegan said...

Oh I LOVE this post! I've always wanted to sprout my own lentils, I really really love sprouts but it is hard to get fresh, decent ones over here. You make it look and sound so easy, thanks!

Elizabeth Jarrard said...

i love sprouts! great post-this actually reminded me that i have some mung beans in the pantry that are just waiting to be pulled out of hibernatioN!

crunchyveganwifelife said...

You are a posting machine lately! LOL
I like that you do simple little posts about sprouting and fruit, it is refreshing! I should try that, see what happens!!!
Perhaps I will do one on rice???What do you think?
Hugs, Viv...

HiHoRosie said...

Cool! I'll have to find me some of these. They look great!

Vegan Valerie said...

Hey ladies!

I'm so happy you like my mung sprouts, and I'm even happier that you took inspiration from them. Thank you for your comments!

And Vivacious (aka: Brandi)-- you definitely have my blessing to do a post about rice. It would be very interesting to blog about that! There are so many varieties, and yet I always find myself using the same kind over and over. How boring! I know I'd learn a lot if you choose rice as a blog topic!

Love you!

Each of you! :)