How to Grow Bean Sprout Roots

Prepare a solution with 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide. Pour the solution into a saucepan.

Heat the solution to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Monitor the temperature with a kitchen thermometer.

Pour 4 tablespoons of certified, pathogen-free bean seeds into a heat-proof metal strainer with mesh that is fine enough to hold the little seeds. Submerge the strainer partially in the water to treat the seeds. Keep the seeds submerged for five minutes.

Remove the strainer from the solution. Hold the seeds under cool, slow-running water for one minute to rinse any remaining solution off the seeds.

Fill a jar with cool water. Pour the seeds into the jar. Skim floating seeds out of the water with the strainer or a spoon. The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources reports that researchers have linked most bean sprout contamination to seeds that float when submerged.

Soak the remaining seeds for four to eight hours.

Pour the jar contents into a strainer. Rinse the seeds with room-temperature water.

Refill the jar with water. Pour the seeds into the jar. Cover the jar with fine, metal mesh, a strainer or piece of bare mesh. Turn the jar upside down. The water in the jar should drip out slowly but continuously.

Place the upside-down jar in a larger container so that it can drain as the seeds germinate. Position the jar at an angle, if necessary, to allow room for the water to drain into the container. Place the container in the refrigerator.

Drain and rinse the sprouting seeds twice a day. The seeds will germinate in the water, sprouting all of the components necessary for growth into a full plant, from the beginning of a root system to a small bud. Allow the germinated seeds to grow until they are 1 to 2 inches long, about three to six days.

Store sprouts without water in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them.