The Outdoor Apothecary is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
There’s no need to buy store-bought sodas when you can make your own homemade fermented beverages at home with a ginger bug. This free-range culture is easy to catch and maintain so you can make probiotic drinks all year round.
The great news is that, unlike store-bought sodas, these are actually good for you!
Table of Contents
What is a Ginger Bug?
A ginger bug is a unique and natural probiotic beverage starter that’s essential for making your own homemade probiotic soda. To create it, you’ll need a mixture of freshly grated or finely chopped ginger (with its skin), sugar, and water. Within this mixture, the naturally occurring yeast present on the ginger’s surface springs to life. This yeast feeds on the sugar and initiates a fermentation process, resulting in the production of carbon dioxide gas. This gas is what gives your homemade sodas their delightful fizziness.
The exciting part is that your ginger bug doesn’t take long to become active. In approximately five days, you’ll start to see it bubbling and showing signs of fermentation, indicating that it’s ready for use. Once it’s reached this stage, your starter is primed and ready to contribute its probiotic benefits to your homemade sodas. So, in short, a ginger bug is the starting point for creating naturally carbonated, probiotic-rich beverages at home.
What Equipment Do You Need?
The only equipment you need to get started with a ginger bug is a jar with a lid (I use these jars) and a strainer. Once your ginger bug is ready to go, you’ll also need some bottles for fermenting the soda (I use these bottles). That’s it!
Why Should You Make Your Own?
Unlock the benefits of crafting your own ginger bug, and you’ll discover a world of health advantages that commercial sodas can’t match. Ginger bugs are not just delicious; they’re a natural source of probiotics, containing lactobacillus bacteria and wild yeasts. These live cultures offer substantial support for your overall well-being.
Fermented foods, like ginger bug, are particularly valuable if you experience gastrointestinal issues. It’s not the ginger’s enzymes themselves that hold the magic, but rather the probiotics that flourish during fermentation. These probiotics can be a game-changer for a variety of health concerns, including:
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome): The probiotics can help alleviate the symptoms of IBS, offering relief from discomfort and irregular bowel habits.
Acid Reflux: The probiotics present can contribute to a balanced gut microbiome, potentially reducing the frequency and severity of acid reflux episodes.
Constipation: By promoting healthy digestion and regular bowel movements, the probiotics may ease constipation woes.
Diarrhea: Probiotics are known to restore the balance of gut bacteria, which can be beneficial for those suffering from diarrhea by potentially reducing its duration and severity.
In addition to these health benefits, fermented sodas are a healthier alternative to store-bought beverages. They contain significantly less sugar, making them a smarter choice for those watching their sugar intake. Plus, the beauty of homemade fermented sodas is their customizability. Tailor them to your preferences, experimenting with various flavors and sweetness levels, while knowing you’re sipping on a beverage that’s both enjoyable and good for your well-being. Say goodbye to conventional sodas and embrace the wellness journey with homemade ginger bug sodas today.
Are Sodas Made With a Ginger Bug Alcoholic?
While ginger bug does contain a trace amount of alcohol, it’s essential to note that it is not categorized as an alcoholic beverage in the traditional sense. The alcohol content in this fermented beverage is akin to what you might find in kombucha, a drink that some individuals also debate in terms of its alcohol classification.
To put things in perspective, wild yeasts present in ginger bug are limited in their ability to ferment to high alcohol levels. In fact, even under ideal conditions, the alcohol content in ginger bug typically doesn’t exceed 1% ABV (Alcohol by Volume), and often remains below 0.5% ABV.
So, if you have concerns about alcohol consumption, it’s worth trying out this ginger bug recipe before fully committing to producing a batch of soda. You’ll likely find that the alcohol content is quite minimal and not comparable to traditional alcoholic beverages.
However, if your goal is to brew a genuinely alcoholic ginger beer, you’d need to employ a different approach altogether. Creating an alcoholic ginger beer typically involves using specific commercial brewing yeast strains designed for higher alcohol content, resulting in a different recipe and fermentation process.
Wild Fermented Ginger Bug
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp finely chopped or grated organic ginger root
- 1/2 cup sugar white table sugar is best
- 2 cups water must be non chlorinated
- Plus additional sugar and ginger for feeding
Instructions
- Place the ginger, sugar, and water in a quart-size wide-mouth mason jar. Gently shake until the sugar dissolves.
- Cover the jar with cheesecloth and lid ring, or a coffee filter and rubber band and set the jar in a warm spot to ferment.
- Every day for the next 5-7 days, add one tablespoon of finely chopped (or grated) ginger into the jar with an equal portion of sugar. As you add these ingredients, you should notice some bubbly action in the jar and you may notice a faint yeast smell. These are all signs that fermentation is happening as it should! If you do not see any bubbly action after a week, or if mold forms on the surface, you may need to start again.
- The ginger bug is ready for use in your homemade soda recipe once bubbles have formed on top. Pour off the amount you need for your soda recipe, and replenish the ginger bug for future recipes.
- To keep your ginger bug alive, feed it once a day as described above.If you won't be using the ginger bug for a while, you can store it in the refrigerator and feed it once a week. When you're ready to use your ginger bug again, take it out and let it warm up to room temperature. Then resume feeding it daily.
Notes
To Make natural Soda
Ingredients
- ½ cup of ginger bug, strained
- 7 ½ cups liquid (sweetened herbal tea or flavored juice)
- Spices, fruit, and other flavor additions (add during fermentation, then strain before storing)
Directions
- Combine the ginger bug and liquid.
- Transfer the mixture to a flip top lid bottle like the one in the photo, leaving ½ inch of headspace.
- Allow the drink to ferment for 3-5 days at room temperature.
- Transfer bottle to refrigerator for up to a few months.
Enjoy!
More fermented recipes?
- Easy Fermented Garlic Honey: Benefits and Recipe
- Purslane Recipe: Embracing the Wild with Fermented Purslane, Ginger, and Garlic
- Sauerkraut 101: The Easy Guide to Crafting Homemade Fermented Cabbage
- Using Juniper Berries to Make Smreka: A Delicious Fermented Beverage
- Fermented Zucchini Pickles: Delicious and Good for Your Gut
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hi, thank you for sharing this blog post! There are a lot of important information from this article and I love it.
In my opinion, Ginger is known to be packed with antioxidants and contains anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger tea may make you believe that this herbal product only has medicinal properties.
Agreed! It’s one of my favorite herbs. So delicious, and good for you too!
Your tips and advice are always practical and actionable. Thanks for making complex topics easy to understand.