Hi, I don't know of any forums per se, but this is a good page to start with for information: https://sproutpeople.org/growing-sprouts/help/#anchor.dormant

I sprout mung beans or soy beans from time to time, and roughly follow this timeline for them:

-Soak some beans for about 24 hours or

-Drain and rinse, place a decent layer of beans along the bottom of a deep bowl or tall container. Maybe place a few paper towels or a cloth underneath the beans to cushion them from any excess water. Cover with a cloth and set aside at room temerature

-Splash sprouts with water every 8 hours or so, just to make sure they're not drying out.

-Keep doing this until sprouts look like how you want them: I like to let them get pretty long as seen here: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sukju-namul (this procedure is pretty much like what I do)

Another thing: sprouts behave differently when exposed to light. I cover my mung bean sprouts because I want them to stay pale, but if exposed to light they will turn green. I do not know the procedure for something like alfalfa sprouts, but I imagine it might involve exposing them to light as they have green tips.

Thanks, that´s great information!

I was also wondering about the importance of rinsing to avoid bacteria and how possible this is is with the different methods, jar vs. trays. Have you had any problems with rotting or anything?

I've never had any problems - just make sure everything you're using is clean, obviously, and yes soaking and rinsing does the job for the beans/grains. And obviously use your nose, haha!

I'd imagine if you let sprouts grow past their ideal sprouting times, they won't taste as good, so check an ideal grow time for each. I've never done alfalfa sprouts, but they seem to have a different time table for soaking & draining, and don't do the splash-with-water bit. I imagine it's because they're smaller sprouts? https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/sprouting/how-to-sprout-alfalfa-seeds/

I have a question...I am not being snarky..I just always wondered about this...if a seed has all of the nutrients it's ever going to have, concentrated in the seed...then why not just eat the seeds? If they are sprouted in water, they can't get any extra nutrients, so what am I missing?

If you just eat the seeds, they will likely just pass through your digestive system, much like when you eat corn. Even in horses, which have a better digestive system than people, seeds such as oats can pass through their system and sprout in the manure.

The sprouted seeds are in a state that people can digest them. They do not get more nutrients but in a form that we can utilize them.