Q&A for How to Ferment Beans

Three to five days.

Very little happens. Bacteria break down the starches (sugar chains) and use them as food. They prefer sugars over proteins as they lack sufficient enzyme activity to digest proteins.

Yes, they need to have limited oxygen to allow fermentation. This won't happen if they are mostly dry and exposed to air.

This does happen, but you can just use a spoon to scoop the mold off. Mold can be toxic and taste pretty terrible, but luckily, it only grows near the surface.

No. You do not add the kefir grains, only the whey (yellow liquid from strained kefir through a coffee filter).

Sauerkraut is sometimes made with whey to get it to ferment faster, but non-dairy sauerkraut is also quite common. In either case, the juice from sauerkraut will work for fermenting beans, as long as it has no preservatives.