Sprout Bean (250g) Vege vegetable vegetables sprouts Salad

Sprout Bean (250g)

$1.99

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Our sprouts are supplied by Sproutman who was voted business of the year for 2007 and 2008.

Bean sprouts have been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years and were bought to New Zealand with the first Asian immigrants in Gold Rush days. Sprouts were made popular with the `hippie' movement in the States in the seventies and have only been available commercially in New Zealand since 1981.

Sprouts are sprouted by first soaking in water, then draining. Once wet, they draw on their stored nutrients and begin to grow. Being young, most sprouts are sweet and tender and provide interesting textures, being crunchy rather than fibrous like older plants. Many different sprouts are available and they are often sold in combination packs.

What to look for

Look for fresh, crisp sprouts which are free of moisture. Avoid any with brown or grey discolouration on the shoots or punnets with watery yellow marks on the foam in the bottom of the punnet.

How to keep

Store at 2 - 5°C with a relative humidity of 90 - 95%. Some bean mixes are packed inside a plastic bag inside the plastic punnet. This bag is made from breathable polyethylene which slows down growth by reducing the respiration rate. As a result shelf life increases by a few days.

CONSUMER STORAGE: Refrigerate in a well vented plastic container or bag. Sprouted beans and seeds are nearly always packaged in a special snap-top plastic container. Keep it closed in the fridge so the sprouts don't dry out.

Nutritional value

The major nutrients in sprouted beans and seeds are the B group vitamins, particularly thiamin. They also provide large amounts of a range of minerals, especially copper and zinc. Some, such as alfalfa and pea shoots, have high water content and thus have low concentrations of the nutrients they supply, but are also low in calories. Some, such as adzuki, contain more dry matter, higher nutrient levels, but more calories.