# Sprouts for salad **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2014, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sprouts-for-salad/695808 "2014-08-18T05:39:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sprouts-for-salad/695808/1 "2014-08-18T05:39:35Z")
So I bought a sprouter and a packet of mixed salad-y sprouts. I followed all the instructions, and soon was proudly in possession of around 2 cups of sprouts. They tasted like sprouts. Despite the fact I had all kinds of different seeds in there (the packet said things like lentils, peas, radish, onions, etc.) they just all tasted sprouty. I dutifully put them on salads and sandwiches, but didn’t enjoy them. So, am I out of luck? Maybe the alfalfa in the blend is too overpowering? Do sprouts all just taste sprouty? Or are there magic special seeds that will actually grow sprouts that I like? (Oh, I also tried to make a small batch of mung bean sprouts, which failed horribly, getting twisty and rooty and attracting fruit flies. I think my batch size was just too small. I also saw an awesome video online of mung bean sprouts growing in sand to give the long, straight sprouts we know and love.) ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sprouts-for-salad/695808/2 "2014-08-18T18:32:04Z")
I can tell the difference between various sprout varieties, but it’s a subtle difference. If they were in a blend like yours, I think the only flavor I’d notice is generic sprout-flavor and I’d lose the nuances that would let me identify the different varieties. I’d compare it to the flavor differences between lettuces. They all have a lot of core flavors in common - even extremes like butter lettuce and radicchio have more in common than different, if you ask me. (At least, compared to non-lettuce vegetables.) If you mixed them all together, they’d just blend in generic lettuce flavor again. You say that you were disappointed - what flavor were you looking for? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sprouts-for-salad/695808/3 "2014-08-18T18:35:07Z")
Hmmm, I never considered growing my own mung bean sprouts! That would be awesome! ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sprouts-for-salad/695808/4 "2014-08-19T01:27:05Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > You say that you were disappointed - what flavor were you looking for? Oh, I dunno, just something a bit more flavourful or complex than standard alfalfa sprouty flavour. What’s the strongest flavoured sprout - onion? Think if I grew a bunch of JUST onion sprouts, I might like it more? **elbows** , I can never finish a whole bag of beansprouts. Also, they’re a very common source of food poisoning when bought commercially. My sprouter is, apparently, not ideal for mung beans, unless you want to make a whole lot. And that was… kind of the point 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Amberlei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Amberlei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amberlei)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sprouts-for-salad/695808/5 "2014-08-19T01:35:09Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > Oh, I dunno, just something a bit more flavourful or complex than standard alfalfa sprouty flavour. What’s the strongest flavoured sprout - onion? Think if I grew a bunch of JUST onion sprouts, I might like it more? I’ve never tried onion sprouts, but I’m fond of radish sprouts. They’re kind of peppery but not so much as an actual radish. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sprouts-for-salad/695808/6 "2014-08-19T03:07:12Z")
radish are peppery. nice on salad. wheat berries are nutty. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sprouts-for-salad/695808/7 "2014-08-19T10:52:56Z")
Hey Araminty, that’s my exact issue! That and having to buy them in advance, but not too far in advance, grrr! I buy pea shoots at the Asian market, they are very fresh and delicate. Plus they seem to last a long time in the fridge! Great in salads!