Ginger Bug

It’s super easy to make your own ginger bug. Ginger is one of those super foods. Ginger can be used to treat an upset stomach. It is high in antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. (source) Ginger can also help reduce inflammation. So why shouldn’t we be drinking ginger-ale everyday.

If you don’t make your own ginger-ale you shouldn’t be drinking ginger-ale every day. Sorry! Ginger-ale from the grocery store is packed with high fructose corn syrup and other undesirable ingredients. I’m not sure if it really contains ginger. Not to worry, it’s super simple to make your own ginger soda.

You need to start with a ginger bug. The ginger bug is a probiotic rich starter of sorts. Similar to a kombucha scoby or sourdough starter. The ginger bug can be used to make other sodas also.

It is going to take around a week to get your ginger bug active. All you need is fresh ginger, sugar, and water.

Day 1

To start, grate about a Tablespoon of ginger, peel and root. The peel is high in yeast, which you need to get your starter active. Make sure you are buying organic ginger.

In a pint jar, add grated ginger, 1 Tablespoon sugar and 3 Tablespoons of water. Shake well and set on the kitchen counter. I covered mine with a paper towel. Make sure the ginger starter is not next to any kombucha, sourdough starter, or fermenting veggies, they can cross contaminate. 🙂

The Process

You’ll need to feed your ginger yeast friends every 24 hours. Once a day, feed the ginger bug 1 Tablespoon of grated ginger, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 3 Tablespoons of water. Shake well and leave on the kitchen counter.

Keep feeding the starter until it gets foamy and fizzy it will also begin to have a sweet yeasty smell. If you don’t see any action, in the form of bubbles, in 8 days you will probably need to dump it and start over.

To maintain your ginger bug, once its active, you need to feed it every day. Feed 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of grated ginger. If you want to rest the ginger bug, you can put it into the refrigerator and feed it once a week. Feed 1 Tablespoon of grated ginger and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. To wake it, let it come to room temperature, feed and use.

Try making your own ginger-ale.

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