Sunday, November 22, 2015

What on Earth is a Ginger Bug?

For sometime now I have been working at making a good Kombucha brew and it's been a bit of a long haul. So now that I know about the GINGER BUG, I'm wondering why I have slaved over a SCOBY for almost year with only mediocre results.

I'm not saying you should forget about Kombucha.  Absolutely not! I am finally getting the hang of it, and I will continue to make and experiment with that for sure.

Rather, I'm saying if you don't have access to a SCOBY, or are daunted by the week or more long process of making booch, or if you're trying and trying and not happy with the finished product, take heart!  This seems as close to a no-fail fermentation starter that I've found. All of the ingredients are readily available, I think almost anwhere.




So, what is a Ginger Bug anyway?  

It's a mixutre of water, sugar and fresh ginger.  That's really it.

For a pint size jar, (2 cups volume) you put 3 tablespoons of grated fresh raw ginger into the jar, (use organic if you can find it, and don't peel it.  The yeasty bugs live on the skin, and they're the workers here!) add some water (about a cup), add 1/2 cup of sugar (she says use plain white, but I used raw cane sugar), and then stir to dissolve the sugar.  I fill to the neck with more water and gently stir. I then covered it with the canning jar ring over a coffee filter to keep any buggy bugs out of there.

You have to feed the culture every day with a tablespoon more of sugar and a tablespoon more of fresh ginger.   In all honesty, don't fret if you forget a day, just pick up where you left off.  Of course if you find mould, you need to lay this Ginger Bug to rest, and get to work on a new one.

I think the reason mine started working so quickly is that I put it on the floor near a heating vent, and the furnace is on.

Please, head over to Wellness Mama where I learned about the Ginger Bug, and learn from her like I did.   Her post is HERE.


Some more pics of my Ginger Bug while she's 'growing up'.  Is it silly to name her Ginger?






Look at all those yummy bubbles!




This isn't a great picture, but I'm telling you, Ginger is ready to go make some fizzy drinks!





Time to make some Switchel (or Swizzle if you prefer)!

Wellness Mama also has a recipe for home made gingerale, and that's next on my honey-do list for Ginger. :)


I will do a post soon about the way I made my Switchel, because it differs from the way Katie at Wellness Mama makes hers.   I'll link up then!

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