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Sprouting trouble

I got a sprouting jar with the special mesh lid from wheatgrasskits.com awhile ago. Since then, I’ve tried making three batches of sprouts. The first batch came out wonderfully and was delicious. The second and third batch both started to grow mold before they were done. I followed the directions I found on the website and I’m using a bean salad mix of adzuki, mung, lentil, and radish.

Any tips for jar sprouting? What do you do to get your yummy sprouts?

Comments

  • michigan romanmichigan roman Raw Master

    not an expert , but from my experiences with mason jar sprouting :

    - rinse more often

    - put less seeds in jar , too many doesnt allow air to circulate which leads to mold growth . in a quart mason jar i use only a half cup of seeds . which lead me to getting bigger 1 gallon jars for greater productoion .

    - but i quit the jar method because of mold issues which made it a high maintenance method . im changing over to using mesh bags which allow air circulation and are thusly less mold conductive . ide suggest making some type rack to hold your mesh sprout bags over something like a plastic dish pan to catch any dripping water . and after the intitial soak just dip the mesh bags like 3 time per day and keep them hung up . ive confered with alot of veteran rawfoodists/sprouters that quit the jar method and turned to mesh . though im not saying im an expert and the jar methods lame , i just found it too high maintenance . also , i think ive read before about adding a little vitamin c to sprouting water to help prevent mold , dont quote me on that though .

    - ide also suggest going to www.rawfoodtalk.com , in their forums you could search sprouting for more opinions .

  • I’ve grown many types of sprouts in many different types of sprouters, and have never had a problem with mold. Are you sure you are seeing MOLD? Some sprouts have very fine, fuzzy roots, and the fuzz could look like mold. If what you are seeing is greenish-gray or black, then it probably is mold. If it is white or off-white, maybe it is just the roots. Also, directions that came with one of my sprouters suggested soaking the seeds in water with a little peroxide or bleach (yuck!) before sprouting to prevent mold. Good luck with your sprouts!

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    www.sproutpeople.com

    Yeah, I think it was broccoli sprouts that we just sprouted that looked like they had mold. We almost threw them away.

    We like sunflower sprouts and red clover sprouts… so far, all the ones you get from www.sproutman.com when you buy the “starter” sprouts. We can’t seem to figure out how to get rid of the shells after they sprout… the seem to float or sink with the sprouts.

  • michigan romanmichigan roman Raw Master

    germin8 i had the same thing with sunseed shells so started growing them in dirt til they reached size where shells dropped off . then ide pull them and wash / eat with roots and all .

  • Bleach your seeds? Yuk is right! Soak your jar for a few minutes in a weak bleach solution and let dry. I soak my larger seeds in a jar, then put them in a fine mesh colander, and just spray them down every few hours. Mung beans work especially well with this method. Alfalfas, radish, and broccoli are better in jars with screened lids though. When you rinse the seeds, make sure you shake absolutely as much water out as possible, then shake the jar to distribute the seeds around. If all of the seeds are in a clump, then they’ll get moldy, but as long as the air can get to them, they’ll be fine.

  • To disinfect the jar I use vinegar and hot water and rinse it several times. It is important that you rinse your seeds regulary with rather cold water, and let them drain well.

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