Skip to content
  • Register
    • Viewing the message boards in:

    Soaking and sprouting beans and nuts????

    Posts: 3,342 Member
    edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
    So does anyone here soak and sprout their beans and nuts to make them more easily digestible and the nutrients easier to break down and utilize? I've read about it and am wondering if there is any good reason to start doing this? Seems like a lot of work.

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register

    Replies

    • Posts: 3,342 Member
      no thoughts on this?
    • Posts: 202 Member
      I do it for lentils and mung beans. Not sure why you think it's a lot of work.
    • Posts: 41,865 Member
      I soak my beans for 24 hours and then cook them slowly over low heat. This seems to work just fine...sprouting seems overly tedious and more complex than anything I'm interested in getting into.
    • Posts: 13,575 Member
      I sprout lentils for my chickens. It's really not much work at all. I have these 2 sprouters and both are really easy to use.

      https://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Kitchen-Sprouter-VICTORIO-VKP1200/dp/B01AJJOJD0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1506367095&sr=8-3&keywords=sprouting+kit

      https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AO3QD2C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    • Posts: 3,342 Member
      edited September 2017
      cheldadex wrote: »
      I do it for lentils and mung beans. Not sure why you think it's a lot of work.

      because for nuts not only would I soak, drain, repeat, then sprout/rinse for days until they are ready and then dehydrate them. That's work and by work I mean takes a lot of time, compared to popping a can lid..... that's work.
    • Posts: 13,575 Member
      emmydoodles83 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      because for nuts not only would I soak, drain, repeat, then sprout/rinse for days until they are ready and then dehydrate them. That's work and by work I mean takes a lot of time.

      I've never done nuts. I sprout lentils, wheat and alfalfa for my chickens in winter when the grass is covered by snow. For those I just have to remember to dump the old water and add new each morning and evening. The rest takes care of itself.
    • Posts: 3,342 Member
      Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      I've never done nuts. I sprout lentils, wheat and alfalfa for my chickens in winter when the grass is covered by snow. For those I just have to remember to dump the old water and add new each morning and evening. The rest takes care of itself.

      Thanks the sprouter looks pretty cool, The nuts seem to be the most work, I've only done them once, but I remember thinking dang is it worth all this time. I dehydrate them after all that to bring some crunch back to them

    • Posts: 41,865 Member
      emmydoodles83 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Thanks the sprouter looks pretty cool, The nuts seem to be the most work, I've only done them once, but I remember thinking dang is it worth all this time. I dehydrate them after all that to bring some crunch back to them

      I eat a lot of pinto beans as they are a staple food where I live...I looked into sprouting once upon a time and the instructions were to soak them for 24 hours and then drain and rinse them and soak again with draining and rinsing 3-4 times per day until they sprouted...I never ended up trying it because I don't even know when I would do the whole drain and rinse thing 3-4 times per day since I'm at work all day.
    • Posts: 479 Member
      I do this with lentils in a mason jar. They sprout really easily. It's not much work, but requires a little planning if you're used to just cooking them right away. I soak ~8hrs and then rinse them in the morning and evening until I'm ready to cook em. Sprouts faster in warmer weather. Its still pretty warm here, so they're ready in about a day and a half.
    • Posts: 1,362 Member
      I've sprouted lentils just because I like them that way. Does that count?
    • Posts: 41,865 Member
      I might have to try with lentils...maybe the pinto beans if I can get away with 2x per day. The instructions I read also said to keep temps around 68*-70*...not too difficult in the winter, but pretty tough going here in the summer.

      I got into fermentation for a time...mostly krauts and kim chi and whatnot...I had to stop because my wife was pissed that our house smelled like cabbage and rotting vegetables...
    • Posts: 14,464 Member
      Mung beans are so cool sprouted.

      It takes time (days) and close supervision.

      The only danger is the potential for salmonella poisoning.

      I would not eat sprouted nuts.
    • Posts: 25,763 Member
      I have sprouted rice to make rejevalac (a fermented grain water that can be used to make cultured nut cheeses). It's really easy, you just soak for a while, drain, and then rinse it every few days until it's done.
    • Posts: 3,342 Member
      cwolfman13 wrote: »
      I might have to try with lentils...maybe the pinto beans if I can get away with 2x per day. The instructions I read also said to keep temps around 68*-70*...not too difficult in the winter, but pretty tough going here in the summer.

      I got into fermentation for a time...mostly krauts and kim chi and whatnot...I had to stop because my wife was pissed that our house smelled like cabbage and rotting vegetables...

      haha I feel ya, I have made saurkraut before.....I really want my own small temp controlled greenhouse for these little plant and food projects of mine.
    • Posts: 2,396 Member
      "I know exactly what he's talking about. I sprout mung beans on a damp paper towel in my desk drawer. Very nutritious, but they smell like death."
    • Posts: 3,342 Member
      MonkeyMel21 wrote: »
      "I know exactly what he's talking about. I sprout mung beans on a damp paper towel in my desk drawer. Very nutritious, but they smell like death."

      I have mung beans in my pantry right now, hmm feeling like I should try this
    • Posts: 646 Member
      I don't even know what sprouting beans is! I was recently educated on dried beans being better than canned so I'm finishing the canned and have a bag of dried black beans to try.
    • Posts: 8 Member
      Sprouting is easy and you don't need any special equipment. I use wide mouth quart jars with plastic lids instead of the metal so they don't rust. Some people keep the metal ring and put a piece of cheesecloth over the rim and use the ring to secure it. You could also use just cheesecloth with a couple of rubber bands holding it in place.

      Soak whatever you want to sprout overnight, making sure that you add enough water to allow them to remain covered as they plump up. At least a 2:1 water to dry beans, nuts, or seeds. Drain and rinse in the morning. You can stop here if you want to use the beans/nuts/seeds as they are.

      Make sure that they are well drained. You can set them with the mouth down - lid on, but not tight to allow for proper drainage - in a bowl to allow for better drainage and airflow and then place the jar with the bowl in a place that gets indirect sunlight. I just set mine on their sides on the kitchen windowsill, it works for me and doesn't crowd the counter. Then just rinse well and drain at least 2 times a day. You can stop the process whenever they are sprouted to your satisfaction and eat fresh or dehydrate or use them in a recipe.

      Here's a website that you can use as a resource: How to soak & sprout nuts, seeds, grains & beans. It also gives the standard warning that they're subject to contamination - it's why Jimmy John's vegetarian sandwich doesn't come with bean sprouts anymore, you have to ask for them. So if you're immunocompromised, you might want to stay away.

      I mostly do mung beans, alfalfa, and broccoli. I will take out enough for a salad and leave the rest to continue sprouting. People do it so that the beans/nut/seeds are more easily digested. I do it mostly to add variety to my diet and salads.
    • Posts: 4,294 Member
      I sprout. Have been doing so for a long time.

      Sunflower seeds don't need soaking.

      Lentils sprout nicely. So do chic peas. Alfalfa, chia, wheat berries and mung beans are fun too.
    • Posts: 13,575 Member
      ccruz985 wrote: »
      I don't even know what sprouting beans is! I was recently educated on dried beans being better than canned so I'm finishing the canned and have a bag of dried black beans to try.

      Why are dried beans better than canned?
    • Posts: 3,342 Member
      edited September 2017
      Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Why are dried beans better than canned?

      Hmmm I don't know that they are but I'll take a stab, maybe it's that canned beans aren't soaked and sprouted and she meant to put that part in there. I have no idea just guessing here. They are def cheaper which is totally better :D
    This discussion has been closed.

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register

    Quick Links

    Categories