Ginger Bug 101

Ginger Bug 101: What is a ginger bug anyways? Learn the uses, benefits, recipe, as well as how to make, care for and feed your own ginger bug.

I found something online last week and I haven’t slept well since – I’ve been up too late reading, absorbing, learning.

I found the /r/fermentation subreddit, and read about fermenting all sorts of foods:

• The difference between lacto-fermentation and yeast-fermentation.
• That you ferment hot sauce, that one was news to me.
• How to make kraut.

And this weird little thing called a ginger bug. There were lots of threads about ginger bugs – apparently, these are popular.

I had to try.

What is fermentation?

There are 2 main types of fermentation:

• Lacto-fermentation is the fermentation started either with salt (the traditional way) or whey (a different whey – get it! ha). The premise behind it is to create a probiotic food using salt/salt brine to keep the bad bacteria at bay and help proliferate the good bacteria. *Lacto-fermentation the traditional way is dairy free – the bacteria produce lactic acid, not lactose, but those with dairy issues should avoid eating foods fermented with whey. *
• Yeast fermentation is pretty straight forward – just like when making bread – the yeast eats the sugar and creates waste, namely CO2 and Ethanol. The CO2 is what makes things bubble and gives rise to bread, and beer. The Ethanol is what makes you feel good. Ha.

Why would I eat something fermented?!

The benefits of fermented ginger are numerous! This fermented ginger bug is a powerhouse.

It is very beneficial to your health to eat fermented foods, especially lacto-fermented foods as they are probiotic. Probiotic intake is incredibly important for your gut health, and as some of us know, gut health leads to all over better health.

I know the word fermentation is kind of a major turn off, but don’t think of it like that. It’s not like leaving a sippy cup full of milk behind the couch for a week (or two!). Many fermented foods are delicious, and not only are they tasty, but they are also, in many cases, probiotic foods.

What else? 

Industrialization has changed the way we (humans) ferment foods. Fermentation can be kind of fiddly, and it’s rare that each batch tastes exactly the same as the one before it.

In the past, fermentation was generally done by brining slightly smushed vegetables in a salt solution, nowadays, commercially available “fermented” foods are processed with vinegar and pasteurized. The acetic vinegar brine and pasteurization effectively kill all of the lactic acid bacteria, voiding the health benefits of the fermented food.

Back to the ginger bug.

WHAT IS A GINGER BUG?

What is it? A slurry of ginger, water and sugar, that is fermented until bubbly and foamy. The good bacteria and wild yeasts in the ginger itself populate and eat the sugar in the mixture.

Just as a baker uses sourdough to leaven bread, and a brewer uses a kombucha scoby to brew kombucha, we can use a ginger bug to make a naturally effervescent soda.

HOW DOES A GINGER BUG MAKE FIZZ?

One of the main ginger bug uses is a naturally fizzy drink! My favourite way to use a ginger bug is to make a “pop”.

When the fermented ginger bug is added to sweetened fruit juice, the microorganisms begin to eat the sugar in the juice. As the microorganisms eat the sugar, they release CO2 making the slurry effervescent.

Science! Or something!

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THE GINGER BUG IS READY?

You’ll know when the ginger bug is ready by looking at your jar. The water with floating ginger chunks will have transformed to a slightly opaque fizzy bubbly liquid.

GINGER BUG TIPS & TRICKS:

After dutifully following a popular ginger bug recipe on my first go, I found that it just didn’t work. I also found it kind of annoying to have to grate the ginger and do it daily. So I modified the recipe:

• PEELING the ginger root isn’t necessary – rinse and wipe, and leave the peel intact.
• MINCE – it’s faster, it’s easier and it’s less mess. Mince the whole root and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for your daily feedings.
• TRY to use organic ginger if you can find. Conventional ginger may have been sprayed or irradiated, killing the natural yeast and bacteria.
• USE simple sugars! It might work with honey, but it works best with simple, easy to dissolve sugars. Use plain old granulated white sugar.

WATER MATTERS:

Try to use filtered or spring water. Tap water often has chlorine or other chemicals that can affect your ferment.

We have a reverse osmosis system, and I use water from that, it works great.

NOT FIZZY?

My countertops are granite – and they run a bit on the cool side, and I feel that this is the reason I didn’t get really good bubbly, yeasty, reactions until day 7/8.

If you’re not seeing bubbles in the first few days, don’t give up. You’ve just got a cool kitchen!

NOT MAKING POP RIGHT NOW?

You can allow the “mother” to rest in the fridge after you strain off some of the liquid, remembering to feed it once a week – 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp ginger root!

Let’s connect: Follow me on Pinterest <3

Yield: 1 litre

Homemade Ginger Bug

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ferment Time: 8 days

Total Time: 8 days 5 minutes

Ginger Bug 101: What is a ginger bug anyways? Learn the uses, benefits, recipe, as well as how to make, care for and feed your own ginger bug.

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Ingredients

• 1 large ginger root approx 4-6 inches, unpeeled, minced
• 2 tbsp sugar + more

Instructions

1. Day 1: In a clean - not sterilized, just clean, quart sized mason jar, add 2-2.5 cups of water.
2. Stir in 2 tbsp of your minced ginger root and 2 tbsp sugar.
3. Cover loosely with coffee filter, nut milk bag, anything breathable. Set in warmish spot in your kitchen away from direct sunlight.
4. Day 2: add 2 more tbsp sugar and 2 more tbsp minced ginger, stir, recover.
5. Days 3 - 7: feed the ginger bug just as you did on day 2.
6. Day 8: Strain the ginger bug and use the probiotic liquid to make stuff fizzy!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 25 Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 0mg Carbohydrates: 6g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 6g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 0g