How to make a Ginger Bug
Jayne Barnes
-posted by Jayne
Today I am sharing a honey recipe for a "Ginger Bug", that can be used to create fizzy fermented beverages sometimes called ginger beer or natural soda. These are great if you are trying to cut the habit of drinking pop and other unhealthy drinks. It is similar to kombucha, but the ginger bug is a wild ferment made from naturally occurring bacteria.
Ingredients Needed: 2 TB Raw Honey, 3-4 TB Organic Ginger Root, and 1 quart Filtered Water
Grate your ginger with the skins left on and mix it with the honey and water.
Add filtered water to top the jar. Stir.
Cover with cheesecloth (I just used a thin kitchen towel.) Stir the jar every day. If fermenting longer than 2 days, add more ginger and honey to the jar.
Part 2 Once the mixture has fermented, you can use it to make a fizzy drink. At that point, you strain off about 1/4 cup of the liquid, mix that into sweetened tea, fruit juice or a combination, and then you pour it into a flip-top bottle or mason jar and secure that tightly. At this point, you want it to be airtight because that is what's going to set the bubbles. Let it ferment for about 3-5 days after that.
If you're using a mason jar, make sure to burp it from time to time to prevent over-accumulation of carbon dioxide and other gases.