The Ginger Bug (Starter Culture)

Name: The Ginger Bug (Starter Culture)
Yield: About 2 cups starter liquid
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped (organic, with skin on); 2 tablespoons sugar (white sugar works best here — the bacteria eat it); 2 cups filtered water (non-chlorinated — chlorine kills bacteria); Additional ginger and sugar for daily feeding

A ginger bug is a wild-fermented starter made from just ginger, sugar, and water. It takes about 5 days to get going and can be used indefinitely. Think of it as a sourdough starter for sodas. Most fermented drinks in this chapter need a starter culture — a colony of beneficial bacteria and yeasts t

About 2 cups starter liquid

Yield

5-7 days

Time

Indefinitely (feed weekly)

Keeps

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped (organic, with skin on)
2 tablespoons sugar (white sugar works best here — the bacteria eat it)
2 cups filtered water (non-chlorinated — chlorine kills bacteria)
Additional ginger and sugar for daily feeding

Method

Combine the ginger, sugar, and water in a quart jar. Stir well.
Cover with a cloth or coffee filter secured with a rubber band (you want air flow but no bugs).
Every day for 5-7 days, add 1 tablespoon of grated ginger and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Stir well.
Within 3-5 days, you should see bubbling and hear fizzing when you stir. The liquid will smell yeasty and slightly sweet-sour. Your ginger bug is active.
Strain out the ginger pieces (keep the liquid) and use immediately, or store in the fridge. Feed it weekly (1 tablespoon each of ginger and sugar) to keep it alive.
*How to use:** Add 1/4 cup of active ginger bug liquid to 1 quart of sweetened flavored liquid to start fermentation.

Notes

Use organic ginger with the skin on — the wild yeasts live on the skin.
If your ginger bug stalls, try moving it to a warmer spot. Below 18°C (65°F) it slows down significantly.
A healthy ginger bug will fizz vigorously when stirred. If it's flat after 7 days, start over with fresh ginger.

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