#Ginger Bug

[sockeye-run]

Starting a brown sugar ginger bug to make a spiced apple cider fermented soda 😍🍎🍂🍁

[rottingcheng]

The people wish to inquire how you started on the journey of making your own ginger ale and distilling your own lavender essence.

PALLAS this took me forever to answer bc I wanted to do it right. I was gonna take pictures of my process but I fear I'd never get it done. To make ginger ale you need to first make a ginger bug, which is to ginger what yeast is to bread. If you're a visual learner you might prefer this youtube video. Otherwise here are my steps: (I am a very lazy and thrifty person so I rarely go out of my way to buy fancy equipment. Don't feel pressured to buy fancy things! Just use what you have!)

You will need: a bottle¹, nice generous knob of ginger, sugar², AND THAT'S IT!

wash the bottle. boiling is optional if you can be bothered but the ginger bug is so resilient i have tortured it muchly and yet it persists.

wash and chop up the ginger. it doesn't matter what size. i julienne them so they fit into the bottle easily. the skin has the most good bacteria + yeast so don't peel it!³

add about half the ginger to bottle along with roughly same weight in sugar. i never measure but i'd say 8 tablespoons.⁴

add water about 3 quarters of the way. shake it up! then either cover with a cloth or close only slightly to let ginger bug breathe. refrigerate leftover ginger. keep the bottle in a dark place at room temp.⁵

once a day, add 2 tablespoons of chopped ginger and 2 tablespoons of sugar to your bottle and shake.

after 2-5 days you will have a carbonated ginger bug! congrats!!!!!!! you've fostered life and your ginger bug loves you!!!! and i love you!!! yay!!!!

(many recipes dictate you ought to do some boiling but i don't. if you want to be safe with hygiene, bring the mixture just under a boil before pouring into bottle)

what to do now that you've created life

keep your ginger bug closed and refrigerated. 'burp' it at least once a day (open the lid to let air out) to avoid it overflowing.

making ginger ale

you can drink your ginger bug as is, diluted with water, with a shot of coffee, whatever you like! i like to keep my 'mother' ginger bug and create bottles of ginger ale from that source. when my ginger bug gets low, i top her up with water and 2tbsp sugar a day, letting her ferment in a dark place (can be closed or unclosed) for a few days until i notice carbonation return to desired level.

to make a ginger ale, all you need is another bottle filled 1/3rd with your ginger bug. you can top it up with juice or any flavoured tea, as long as there is sugar. i like to muddle fresh fruit with sugar over the stove and add water. when it comes to boil i cut the heat and let it cool before straining into the bottle. i let it ferment in a dark place, closed or unclosed, and add 2tbsp sugar and shake once a day. 2-3 days is good enough.⁷

flavour ideas: earl grey tea, strawberry, mango, anything you like!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR! I have truly gained a reputation as the person obsessed with their ginger bug. Me when I personify my ginger bug like it is my precious child and giggle whenever she fizzes happily in response to sugar. It's truly so easy and rewarding, and SUCH an excellent and cheap gift for friends and family. It is also a probiotic so it's good for tums. Though it is very sugary...a good gingery alternative for the sugar-conscious is switchel. And I haven't even gotten started on distilling lavender oil so lemme get to that after!

HAPPY FIZZING!!!!

preferably a flip-top, but i started out with an old twist-top pomegranate juice bottle i got from work. i graduated to flip-top when i found one left behind by previous tenant of my room. flip-top is definitely more convenient and safer but you can just use a twist-top and be careful.

you can use any sugar! this is your baby's food. can also use honey or maple syrup but the flavour won't come thru bc the sugar is being eaten by the bacteria + yeast so it's kind of a waste. you cannot use sweetener.

if you want to be the coolest person ever, keep the skin when you peel your ginger for other uses and feed them to your ginger bug. your ginger bug will love you so much.

add too little? that's okay, just add more if you notice low carbonation. add too much? there will be a lot of carbonation...open over a sink <3 i do get so much delight out of an overflowing bottle. it means your ginger bug is so well fed and happy!

depending on your ginger bug's enthusiasm, i would place something under the bottle in case it spills/leaks a bit.

i've had my ginger bug refrigerated for weeks and continue living, i've also forgotten to burp her for days or weeks at a time and things are fine. don't stress it!

i really am not strict with this. i'm terrible at future planning so oftentimes i bring a bottle that's only fermented one day to a picnic and it's just as delicious. the sugar is being eaten by the bug over time, so over time in the fridge it will become less sweet (i think). less sugar = less carbonation. also you don't necessarily have to strain out the fruits but the fruits will become gross over time.

[happyenki]

Ginger Beer

Are you thinking of making your own ginger beer? I am on a journey to make ginger bug sodas. So far I have made some really tasty ones but I still can’t get it really fizzy. Here is the result from my first few attempts. If you haven’t checked out how to make a ginger bug, go to the post where I started this ginger beer journey. https://eatitnoworeatitlater.com/2023/03/25/ginger-bug/ You will…

[ligayagardener]

Using your Ginger Bug to make your own Ginger Beer

The last post was about growing a Ginger Bug. Here's how to give its life purpose and meaning - making you some Ginger Beer!

Bubbles are a good sign. The last post was about growing a Ginger Bug. Here’s how to give its life purpose and meaning – making you some Ginger Beer! You might have seen that post about fermenting your own Ginger Bug. If not, check it out before continuing. Ill help to explain the process little. It’s really easy to grow your Bug into Beer. Here’s how – Stage 1: All you need to do is boil 2…

[masgwi]

Today is the day of making ginger ale. I think it will be good, the ginger bug was vigorous anyway.

[eyplaylist]

EXPAND YOUR PLAYLIST - SEPTEMBER 2024 PLAYLIST

EXPAND YOUR PLAYLIST: SEPTEMBER 2024(SONGS ADDED TO THE EYP RADIO 2024 PLAYLIST)Spotify – Instagram – Facebook – Twitter – Threads6 Songs – 19 min, 46 sec (as of 9/2/24)Genres: Pop, Rock, Indie, Alt, Alternative, Indie Rock / Indie Pop NEW CHANGES. SAME GREAT MUSIC. Updated Monday September 2nd, 2024 September marks a time of change for EYP, including adjustments to how often we release new…

[kitchenhermit]

Natural Ginger Beer 

As an Australian living in Italy, there’s nothing I miss more than an ice-cold bottle of ginger beer. Despite the name, this drink is non-alcoholic, but it’s slightly spicy and absolutely addictive.

This ginger beer is fermented with wild yeast that is created with a 'ginger bug' so the carbonation is all naturally brewed. Much like a sourdough starter, as long as you keep the ginger bug alive, you can continue to make ginger beer all summer long.

It can take a bit of planning, but the actual active time is minimal. Once you try this natural homemade version, commercial brands just can’t compete and you’ll never go back!

Ingredients:

Ginger Bug: 

First day: 

500 grams filtered water

22 grams grated ginger 

28 grams granulated sugar

Feeding (every 24 hours):

22 grams grated ginger 

28 grams granulated sugar 

Ginger beer: 

1892 grams water 

273 grams granulated sugar 

54 grams grated ginger 

110 grams strained ginger bug liquid 

Juice of 3 lemons

Method:

Ginger bug: 

Mix all the ingredients for the ginger bug (first day) in a sterilised glass jar*. Cover with a cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Leave it out at room temperature for 24 hours. Following this, mix in the ginger and sugar (feeding) every 24 hours. Continue this until the wild yeast mixture is fizzy. The time will depend on how warm your kitchen is, in the summer this only takes me about 2 days. 

Ginger beer mixture:

When the ginger bug is ready, it’s time to prepare the ginger beer mixture. In a large pot, pour in the water, sugar and ginger. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let it cool down to room temperature. This will give the ingredient time to impart even more flavour. It’s very important that the ginger mixture is at room temperature, as any heat may kill the natural yeast in the ginger bug when you add it. 

Using a fine mesh strainer or a cheesecloth, pour the mixture into a bowl. Follow with the lemon juice and the strained ginger bug. Now, it’s time to bottle your ginger beer. Using a funnel, pour the ginger beer into a bottle, leaving about a thumb of space from the top. I usually get four 500ml bottles. There will be some ginger residue at the bottom of the bottle - but this is the good stuff. Good quality commercial beer will also have this. 

Fermentation:

Leave the ginger beer out at room temperature until fizzy and carbonated. Make sure you open them once a day to release the built-up gas. Once carbonated, put them in the fridge and continue to open them once a day to release the gas. 

Now, they’re ready to enjoy! Serve with ice and a slice of lemon! 

Notes:

To sterilise the jar and bottles, simply boil them for 10 minutes in hot water or  put them in the oven for 15 minutes (160 degrees) 

Bottles: make sure you buy bottles that can be closed hermetically (flip-top bottles). I use these ones. 

If you want to keep your ginger bug alive for more batches of ginger beer simply refresh it with 110 grams of filtered water, put it in the fridge and once a week add 22 grams of ginger and 28 grams of granulated sugar. When you want to use it, put it out at room temperature and continue to feed it like this every 24 hours until fizzy again.

Recipe adapted from Joshua Weissman 

Did you try this recipe? Let me know over on Instagram!

[catherineballard]

Started making fermented sodas and have a sick urge to recreate Diet Coke/dr Pep

[witch-cottage]

This week end I have been quite busy! The front entrance was bugging me. There used to be many screws and nails embedded in the wood behind the paint, no to mention a set of hinges that have been there and unused for only the gods know how long. And believe me they where stuck like a rodent to a glue trap.

After removing the offending nails, screws, and hinges, I filled all the holes in with wood putty. When I woke up this morning, I anded everything and painted with the left over exterior paint the previous owner left me.

Taking these (see above) off and stripping them down was a challenge. I don’t think my paint remover was suted to the task. But oce stripped of the offensive excess paint, I decided they should match my front door.

I’m very pleased with how they are turning out so far.

I also made my own sourdough bread, and have started making my own ginger beer. It’s exciting to ferment my own things to eat and drink.

My peonies are also blooming beautifully! I never knew there where a variant of yellow peonies! They smell so wonderful!

[inkcurlsandknives]

When the latter half of Beryl brings down pine boughs....

It's time to make pine-ginger bug for all your summer cocktails can't let those wild yeast go to waste

Is that author frolicking in the eye of Hurricane Beryl for Saints of Storm and Sorrow Content? Yes, And I'll do it again, so pls read Saints before a tree lands on me. The wind's picking up again so we're running back inside. The eye really is eerily calm.

Saints is Out NOW!

Buy link: https://linktr.ee/gabriellabuba

[tatos-stick-pile]

Just so u know i got ungodly attached BEFORE that short appeared (ask any one of my mutuals fr) I NEED HELP.

[zndr315-blog]

[happyenki]

Ginger Bug

I recently received a bunch of organic ginger and have always wanted to try making ginger beer. So my adventure with my ginger bug begins. It is recommended to use organic ginger as you will need to use the skin. Rinse the ginger and finely grate until you have about 3 tbsp of ginger, 3 tbsp of raw sugar and 3 1/2 cup filtered water. Mix everything well. Place a coffee filter or cloth on top…

[ligayagardener]

Grow your own Ginger Bug

Ginger Bug is the precursor to a wonderful, fermented Ginger Beer.

No, I’m not talking about pest control, I’m talking about a wonderful, easy to make pro-biotic drink for Summer. Unlike similar kitchen ferments such as Water Kefir and Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger Bug doesn’t rely on a SCOBY or Mother for fermentation. It works on wild yeasts that are found on the Ginger, in your kitchen or in your garden. You can also make it with Turmeric or Galangal rhizomes…

[masgwi]

I made a box into a warm dark place for my ginger bug to ferment better and ooh boy is it ever fermenting!