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Bean Sprouts

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Bean Sprouts

Postby mistakened » Fri May 22, 2020 11:36 am

Last summer I made a lot of Oriental Style shredded salads. This year I decided to include bean sprouts in the mix, I have grown them before. Despite combing through the shelves of the appropriate shops I cannot find Mung Beans or Alfalfa.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might grow instead?

Thanks, moira

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri May 22, 2020 11:43 am

Can you get whole lentils?

My attempts at sprouting have not been roaring successes but I’ve heard they are good

In fact sprouting might be a good way of using up the last handfuls of some pulses before I refill the jar :idea:

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Earthmaiden » Fri May 22, 2020 12:01 pm

I've been ploughing my way through several old packets of seeds designed for sprouting since we've been in the current situation.

Mixed packs include: Alfalfa, red cabbage, white radish and mung which isn't helpful for you! Most small beans work, can you get aduki beans?. I've sprouted lentils in the past too, but as Sue says, it might be hard to get whole ones unless you can buy as seeds. Haricots might work too if you remove the bean from the sprout before serving.

The red cabbage sprouts are quite robust and nice but I don't think anything is a real substitute for the kind of sprout you get from mung beans.

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri May 22, 2020 12:12 pm

I don’t think it’s hard to get whole lentils here - lots of varieties of whole green and brown lentils but I’ve no idea in Cyprus

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Pampy » Fri May 22, 2020 2:21 pm

Can you source them from Amazon? They're available on Amazon UK.

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby mistakened » Fri May 22, 2020 2:45 pm

Pampy wrote:Can you source them from Amazon?
Probably, but postage costs will be silly. There are several Health Food shops in the area, I will pay them a visit.

I looked Bean Sprouting jars on Lakeland, £24 99 is a bit steep

Moira

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby jeral » Fri May 22, 2020 3:25 pm

£24.99? I soak mung beans in an ex-coffee jar (200g size) - replacing water as advised - then into a colander to sprout. No special jar needed. Sorry, I haven't a clue where I bought my mung beans from TBH.

If you can get old fashioned Batchelors dried peas in packets, they make good pea shoots by planting them just under the soil surface (plenty on the Net about How to.)

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Pampy » Fri May 22, 2020 3:36 pm

I use a coffee jar for the whole process - put the beans in, stretch a piece cut from a pair of tights (clean!) over the top and secure with an elastic band. Pour enough water through the tights to soak the beans and once soaked for the required time, drain it out. Rinse the beans/sprouts once or twice a day in the same way (water in/drain through the top) until they've grown to the size you want.

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Suffs » Fri May 22, 2020 3:47 pm

I’ve sprouted mung beans in an old pickle jar with a j cloth and elastic band since before DD was born in 1976 ... I don’t think patent bean sprouters existed back then. :lol:

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri May 22, 2020 3:55 pm

I've got half a packet of Carlin peas, which I don't really like very much
I'll try sprouting some of them

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby ZeroCook » Fri May 22, 2020 4:02 pm

As any type of bean or legume will produce a good sprout, larger beans like borlotti, white beans, black beans - absolutely any whole dried legume seeds you can get your hands on will make good sprouts . Chickpeas make really great sprouts as do small broad beans, dried peas. Just thinking what might be commonly available in Cyprus.

Never have used a bought sprouter either. Ditto large glass jar with porous material or mesh placed over opening.
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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Pampy » Sat May 23, 2020 12:30 am

I sometimes sprout chickpeas and serve them as a veg. when the sprouts are still quite small.

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Rainbow » Sat May 23, 2020 1:50 am

Suffs wrote:I’ve sprouted mung beans in an old pickle jar with a j cloth and elastic band since before DD was born in 1976 ... I don’t think patent bean sprouters existed back then. :lol:

Same here, Suffs. More recently we have tried a 'bean sprouter' but I don't think it was any better!!

Our last attempts weren't much good but it may have been due to the heat and humidity in summer.
Maybe we should try again now it's much cooler. It's only about 13º outside and it's 10am :o Inside it's about 17º and so I've put a heater on and I'm wearing
tracksuits and Ugg boots!!!

Everyone around here is complaining about the cold - it should be about 24º, I think!

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby mistakened » Sat May 23, 2020 7:42 am

Thanks for the suggestions, I shall check the store cupboard for suitable seeds

Moira

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby ZeroCook » Sat May 23, 2020 7:55 am

Rainbow wrote:Maybe we should try again now it's much cooler. It's only about 13º outside and it's 10am :o Inside it's about 17º and so I've put a heater on and I'm wearing
tracksuits and Ugg boots!!!


Sounds like a normal UK summer's day! :D

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby DEB » Sat May 23, 2020 9:17 am

Yes you can get them via amzon in the UK I got some this summer, during lockdown.

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby scullion » Sat May 23, 2020 11:42 am

not really any bean, i would avoid the kidney bean family.

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat May 23, 2020 11:47 am

scullion wrote:not really any bean, i would avoid the kidney bean family.

I wondered about that - they can be quite toxic, and it’s worth bearing in mind that because the toxin is a haemagglutinin individual susceptibility varies a lot

My Carlin peas have plumped up nicely so we’ll see if they sprout well

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun May 24, 2020 4:19 am

not really any bean, i would avoid the kidney bean family.


Absolutely agree, scullion.
In Indian groceries you can find all manner of mung beans, lentils, etc. Stick to those and avoid beans as such.

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Re: Bean Sprouts

Postby Rainbow » Sun May 24, 2020 7:55 am

ZeroCook wrote:
Rainbow wrote:Maybe we should try again now it's much cooler. It's only about 13º outside and it's 10am :o Inside it's about 17º and so I've put a heater on and I'm wearing
tracksuits and Ugg boots!!!


Sounds like a normal UK summer's day! :D

I was thinking that as I typed, ZeroCook :lol:

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