Wild Fermented Ginger Bug
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.
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
****Give the ginger bug a good stir once or twice a day. I like to put on a plastic lid and give the mixture a gentle shake.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!