How do I prevent my mung bean sprouts from turning green and developing too many roots?

Question

I am sprouting mung beans to eat.

I sprout them in a clear plastic container with the opening covered in a mesh.

I place the container, opening down on the kitchen counter covered in one of those blue cleaning cloths.

Everyday, I cover the sprouts in water, drain them and put them back on the counter.

They grow quite well, but around day 3/4 they start putting out more roots and turning green.

How do I keep the sprouts white?

Update: In addition to completely covering the sprouts, I read that weighing them down was important for fat sprouts. To do this I used a plastic bag filled with rice so that that my weight would fill any shape bowl I used. I am not sure if this was beneficial. But it certainly didn't hurt.

I also used a plastic colander. This had too many holes. Extraction of the sprouts was annoying.

Answer 1

Grow them in a green container. Or grown them in a container with an opaque cover. The key is to not let them get light. They are sprouting based on energy stored in the bean so do not need additional energy. Apparently growing them in the light causes bitterness.

I see from other sites that it is difficult to get the large white sprouts that you can buy at the grocery store as these are grown in with commercial equipment. When you sprout them at home you do not want to let them germinate for too long or they expend their energy growing roots and leaves.

Answer 2

I have found that it is very easy to extract sprouts from a colander with many holes when I place a brown (industrial style) paper towel on the inside bottom of the colander. It lets the water through, but the roots do not go through that type of paper towel. I know there are some white paper towels that work that way too but that most do not (from having seen videos of many others who sprout) but could not tell you what brand doesn't let the roots come through. The brown type I am speaking of is like the kind you see and use in public bathrooms, such as a grocery store. I purchased a case of them -- the kind that folds -- and have found them to be very helpful in the kitchen for things I would rather not use the "fancy" paper towels for.

I like to eat the roots as well as the sprouts.

I keep the light off of my sprouts with a black cotton cloth covering.