A Black Chick Pea! Cool!
Produces that same delicious nutty Garbanzo sprout - but this is black - it can get none more black. Also great for Greens.
Unfortunately Black Garbanzos are not always available as a straight sprouting seed due to supply and demand limitations, but they always appear (unless they are completely unavailable) in our San Francisco Mix, Mix #47 - Neville's Midnight Moon
and Garbanzoid, at least as long as our supply of seed lasts.
One of our proudest accomplishments as Sproutpeople; we sent the seed stock for Black Garbanzos to our favorite farmer (Mark in Nebraska) back in 1998. Mark is the one who deserves all the credit. He selected seed through many bad crop years, until finally succeeded in getting a good crops in 2008 and again in 2009. Now That is Persistence!
2010 was not as kind to Mark. Besides a crop failure, his seed stock was lost due to moisture damage- so we had the honor of sending our remaining seed to Mark as seed stock for 2011. As a result we now have fresh seed again (see our Crop Notes section (below) for details).
Yields approximately 1 Cup (1/2 lb.) of Sprouts
Seed Prep
Measure out 1/2 Cup of seed*
Rinse your seeds to remove dust or plant debris.
Soak
Transfer your seeds - if necessary - into your Sprouter, or a bowl.
Add 2-3 times as much cool (60-70 degree) water.
Mix seeds up to assure even water contact for all.
Allow seeds to Soak for 8-12 hours.
Sprouting
Empty the seeds into your Sprouter (if necessary).
Drain off the soak water.
You can use it - it has nutrients in it.
Rinse thoroughly with cool (60-70°) water.
Drain thoroughly.
Set your Sprouter anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal) between Rinses.
This is where your sprouts do their growing. We use a counter top - in the corner of our kitchen, but where the sprouter won't get knocked over by cats, dogs, kids or us.
We don't mind the indirect sunlight or the 150 watts of incandescent light, because light just does not matter much. Your Bean Sprouts will never have leaves, and a plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves.
Until then light has little if any effect, so don't hide your sprouts. Plus, they like air-circulation.
Rinse and Drain again in 8-12 hours.
And, once more...
Rinse and Drain again in 8-12 hours.
And, perhaps once more...
Rinse and Drain in 8-12 hours.
We stop no later than here. We like our sprouts small.
Typically, we sprout for just 2-4 Rinse and Drain cycles. At that point most of the seeds will have sprouted tiny
(1/16 - 1/4 inch) roots.
That's the way we like our Bean Sprouts.
Depending on your climate and the time of year you are sprouting and most importantly your personal preference - You may Rinse and Drain again at 8-12 hour intervals for up to 6 days.
We Do Not recommend doing so, unless you're doing a science experiment. Grow them for as long as you like. As long as you continue to Rinse and Drain every 8-12 hours.
If you grow for a week you'll get some plants growing as well as roots. Experiment! Have Fun! It's All Good - if occasionally inedible @;-D
As always, we suggest that you taste your crop at EVERY Rinse - including the very first - just after the Soak period. The soaked seeds are already alive and super nutritious - and - they are without
enzyme inhibitors (a very good thing indeed!) so they'll digest themselves and nourish you. So taste them often and find out for yourself when they are most delicious! That's when they're done.
Harvest
Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final Rinse.
Be sure to Drain them as thoroughly as possible after that final Rinse.
The goal during the final 8-12 hours is to minimize the surface moisture of your sprouts - they will store best in your refrigerator if they are dry to the touch.
Refrigerate
Transfer your sprout crop to a plastic bag or the sealed container of your choice and put them in your refrigerator.
We offer Produce Storage Bags that will extend shelf life substantially.
*Seed to Use
* If using Sproutpeople's Single Harvest Pack - use the whole bag. It will produce a crop of approximately 8 ounces.
These seeds yield approximately 2:1 - so in theory you can start with up to as 1/2 as much dry seed as your Sprouter has capacity.
If you are new to sprouting, or new to this crop; we advise that you start with 1/4 - 1/3 of your Sprouter's capacity so that your sprouts have more room.
Crop Notes
2012
This year's seed is special. We have it once again, thanks to our farmer friend in Nebraska. He lost his seed stock due to moisture damage - so we sent him what we had left - from his 2010 crop. We love being able to help keep seed varieties alive. It is one of our greatest thrills as Sproutpeople. Mark does all the work - but we did get to play a part.
That said - this year's seed is not as perfect as that 2010 crop. There is the occasional immature (slightly green) seed, and I saw one with mildew on it. We offer them to you with the understanding that you will pick any of those out. They won't hurt you, but they can spoil your crop if left in. We pick them out before soaking, and during sprouting and the crops store adequately. Garbanzos usually get a little slimy in the refrigerator, so we rinse them before eating. In the crops we've grown from this new seed we have had to pick out only one mildewed seed and 2-3 green seeds, so it's not a big deal. Then again - we did note that the 2010 crop - which was pristine when we received it - developed mildew over time. For that reason we suggest that you keep your seed in the freezer. That'll keep 'em fresh for years.
We do not generally tolerate these minimal imperfections with most of the seeds we offer, but these Black Garbanzos are a rarity. Possibly a vanishing species, so it's worth it in their case.
Sprouting Notes
There is nothing more you need to know than we said directly above.
Happy Sprouting!
Follow links for detailed information about - and a purchase point for - each Sprouter....
