Anybody have any success storing bean sprouts...

[TreasonousBastard]

for more than a day or two? Mung bean sprouts I'm talking about here, and I usually cook them one way or another, rarely using them in salads or otherwise raw. And I usually cook just for myself, so it takes a while to go through the bean bag I get in the supermarket. Because they go bad so fast, the stores only get them in once and a while, and you have to catch them on the day of delivery.

I've tried freezing them, but although that's supposed to work they thaw out mushy when I do it.

Daily rinsing, keeping them in a jar of water, and variations on those themes might work but I haven't tried them with the latest bag of sprouts I bought-- this time I'm trying to eat them before they turn. (I'm serious about finishing the bag-- made a mushroom and sprout omelet for breakfast.)

It has occurred to me that if I could find mung beans, I could make my own sprouts, but that might be more trouble than it's worth. I also hear pumpkin and other squash sprouts are good, and those seeds are more readily available. It has also occurred to me that I might make a deal with my favorite Chinese restaurant for bamboo shoots, sprouts, and other goodies not readily found around here, but I would still have the storage problem.

(And yes, I have done the google with many sites and foodie baords claiming they have the answers, but they all have different answers.)

[grasswire]

1. it seems the best thing would be to sprout your own.

I love bean sprouts, so I am sympathetic.

I think you can sprout the seeds in a mason jar with a mesh top. Yes. I remember it now. The mesh top is sold at New Seasons in my area, but you could punt with something else.

I love to make a sort of egg fu yung with sliced green onion, diced bell pepper and celery, eggs and some soy, and lots of bean sprouts. Nutritious and so good.

[eridani]

3. Agreed. The best thing is controlling the amount you buy

Also ome whole foods stores sell them bulk, and you can buy only what you need for a day or two.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. That's impossible out here...

no whole foods type place for at least a hundred miles. Supermarkets sell these bags that are about two quarts, and that's all we get.

[eridani]

11. Then just sprouting small amounts at a time is the only option.

Probably the same setup for larger batches would work, and you could have small bottles in various stages.

[hippywife]

4. I sprouted lentils a few times last summer.

Just kept them between wet paper towels in one of those flat clear clamshells that berries come in.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. I don't know if they still do it, but in Chinatown...

in NY they made sprouts in garbage cans in the basements.

(They use a lot of sprouts in Chinatown.)

On edit...

Sprouts take a while to sprout, and after they've sprouted, I still have the storage problem. I can't conceive of a setup that gives me just the right handful of sprouts when I need them without even more waste.

[sazemisery]

2. Mother Earth News to the rescue

All about sprouts and sprouting

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Growing-Sprouts-At-Home-Sprout-Recipes.aspx

[TreasonousBastard]

7. Well, that tells me what I pretty much know about...

sprouting from doing a lot of gardening, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle to possibly end up with more sprouts than I can eat.

[troubleinwinter]

8. I grow my own sprouts.

Alfalfa, mustard, radish, and a mix of broccoli, grains & other stuff.

I use this:



Sounds like it would be ideal for you. It has two levels, so you can start one crop on one level, and start another in a few days, so the maturity would be staggered. You'd have maybe one and a half or two cups sprouts per each crop.

It isn't a hassle, just presoaking and rinsing at least twice a day (I rinse morning & night).

http://www.amazon.com/Hirts-Seed-Sprouting-Sprouter/dp/B0012YKCTC/ref=pd_sim_ol_18

This site also has the sprouter and a million types of sprouting seeds, beans and grains, as well as the mesh lids for jars (and lots of information).
http://www.sproutpeople.com/

[pengillian101]

12. That does look great!

I haven't had sprouts in years, but I loved 'em on a multi-grain, wheat-bread turkey sandwich. Seattle had the best ever. None better.

That sprouter looks great!

[Warpy]

9. Try washing them, spreading them over a paper towel

putting another paper towel on top of them, rolling them up, and putting them in a clean plastic bag.

This method works with leaf lettuce spun dry to the point you can dismantle a head of lettuce and eat it a week later. Not that it lasts that long unless it's harvest season.

What you don't want to do is leave them sitting in that plastic bag to settle into slime.

[Gormy Cuss]

10. Since you're going to cook them, you can hold them for a bit longer by blanching them.

Trim off most of the seed ends first (that seems to cut down on the slimeyness) and give them a quick dunk in boiling water followed by a dip in a ice water. They'll last about a week after that.

I can't remember if I ever tried to freeze blanched sprouts. When I lived alone and bought a bag of sprouts it was a commitment to cook Asian for most of the week.