Sprouted Beans

Originally posted on 20 June 2016

I first tried cooking dry beans at the age of 20 in my first proper apartment. I was immediately turned off. I soaked them for two days, boiled them for 4 hours and they were still crunchy! What the heck? Definitely not worth it. 

Eight years of canned beans later, I pick up a little book called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. And you know what? We're doing it all wrong! Sprouting dry beans before cooking them not only speeds cooking time (by a lot), it also makes them easier to digest and improves their nutritional profile (see below). Win-win!

"The process of germination not only produces vitamin C but also changes the composition of grain and seeds in numerous beneficial way. Sprouting increases vitamin B content, especially B2, B5, and B6. Carotene increases dramatically--sometimes eightfold. Even more important, sprouting neutralizes physic acid, a substance present in the bran of all grains that inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc; sprouting also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors present in all seeds. These inhibitors can neutralize our own precious enzymes in the digestive tract. Complex sugars responsible for intestinal gas are broken down during sprouting, and a portion of the starch in grain is transformed into sugar. Sprouting inactivates aflatoxins, potent carcinogens found in grains. Finally, numerous enzymes that help digestion are produced during the germination process."

-- Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions

In the recipe below I made black beans (we're black bean fanatics). This technique can be used to sprout most varieties of beans and seeds, but sprouting time, sprout length and cooking time varies.

what you'll need

yield: 4 cups

1 c. dry black beans

1 qt. mason jar

sprouting lid

bowl

saucepan

1. Place a 1 cup of your dry beans in a quart mason jar. Cover with water and let soak overnight.

2. Cover jar with sprouting lid. Drain soaking water and rinse with fresh water. Place jar upside-down, on an angle in a bowl, so the water can drain the beans get some air circulation.

3. Once or twice daily, rinse with fresh water and drain, to keep them moist. After two to four days, or when you see sprouts of .25"-.5" long, they are ready to cook.

4. To cook, place beans in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, or until soft. The beans may shed their skins, but it doesn't make them any less delicious!