Mung Bean Sprouts Fermentation Attempt

Do your best work, bacteria. And as reward, I will eat you.

This one is a mung bean sprout fermentation attempt. Carrots and kraut turned out well, and the next experiment-attempt is this, set up yesterday for whiffing and tasting in three or four days. It’s a simple packdown of two batches of mung beans sprouted from dry beans for about four days, 1/4 cup times two (that is, in two different sproutsing jars). Read around online to find very little about fermenting sprouts, some suggesting salt massaged beginning, comparable to sauerkraut, others suggesting a simple brine over the top, which is what I did, just after this photo–two tablespoons of kosher salt (just a fuzz less, actually) into a quart of water to heat and dissolve, cool a little bit and then pour over. Two pulls of the de-oxygenating pump to extract air. In the morning, liquid had expanded to overflowing the lid, but otherwise they’re on their way to what I hope will be sourbliss and nothing rotten or funky or toxic.

Mung bean sprouts, quart packed, just before brining and setting to ferment.