THE CHINESE BEANS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 73

two or three thicknesses of cheesecloth over the opening of a wide-mouthed jar, or use
a dish towel to cover a colander or strainer. At some kitchen-supply and health-food
stores, you can purchase plastic mesh “lids” designed to fit a wide-mouthed canning
jar; these are designed just for sprouting and screw on for a tight fit.
Sprout beans in a mason jar fitted with three thicknesses of cheesecloth fastened over the opening with a
rubber band.
PREPARING THE BEANS
Wash and pick over the beans to remove any small stones or debris. Use about a ½ cup
of dried beans. Once sprouted, these will expand to three to five times their original
volume, so if your container won't hold 2½ cups, reduce the amount of dried beans
accordingly. If you overcrowd the container, the beans won't sprout as well, and it will
be much harder to rinse them well enough to keep them from going mushy.
Soak beans overnight in warm water to cover. (Don't refrigerate.) In the morning,
drain the beans in a strainer.
HOW TO SPROUT
Put the drained beans into your container. Fill the container with water, drain, and re-
peat two or three times to rinse the beans thoroughly. Drain well. Shake the container