Nice Fat Bean Sprouts!

Last year I acquired 25 pounds of organic mung beans. (My husband would ask, "Is that a statement of fact, or a cry for help?") My idea was to sprout them. However, it turns out that when you do it at home using the usual methods, they come out very shrimpy. The "tail" is barely longer than the bean. They're okay, but not the crispy, juicy sprouts I envisioned. A little internet research revealed that mung beans sprout best in dark conditions, under pressure. It took very little effort to construct a mung-bean sprouter from common household items. Please enjoy!

First, find an empty yogurt container and a rigid plastic lid that will fit all the way inside; the lid you see in the second photo came off a Really Raw Honey jar. Make sure your container is opaque, not clear. Now all you need is a way to poke drainage holes in the bottom of the yogurt container. I used a metal skewer heated over a flame, thus the rectangular holes. Do poke from the inside to the outside so that any protruding edges will be on the outside. That will improve drainage.

Soak a couple tablespoons of mung beans overnight. Put them into the container, put the rigid lid directly on top of them, and put a quart jar of water on top of that. The jar of water provides weight. Set the sprouter on a saucer or something to collect water that drains through. There, you're done!

Day 3--See how they're all nicely packed together?

Rinse the sprouts every day. I keep mine next to the sink so I remember to do it. Rinse with care so you don't break up the mass of beans. (On about day 5, you can start soaking more beans for your next batch.) Rinse your saucer too every day so nothing can grow in the water that will collect.

Day 7: Be careful not to start with too many beans, otherwise it will be hard to balance the jar of water on top!

Look at those nice, fat juicy sprouts! When they start to leaf out, knock the mass of beans into a bowl to rinse them. Some roots will have grown through the drainage holes, so you might have to wiggle the beans out. I just bang the sprouter upside down in the bowl and most of the sprouts fall out. As you rinse, many of the green hulls will float to the top and can be removed. And here is the finished product:

Rinsed and ready to eat! Just as big and tasty as the store bought ones, and you did it yourself!

Now scrub your sprouter to remove the roots that are blocking the holes, and you are ready to start again. Have fun!