Grow Your Ginger Bug:

Day 1:

• Wash a quart sized glass jar with hot soapy water, rinse well and set aside to dry. Meanwhile, finely mince a 3″ knob of ginger, and transfer to an airtight container.
• Add 2 cups of room temperature water to the clean and dry mason jar. Add 2 tablespoons minced ginger and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Fasten the lid and swirl or shake to combine and dissolve the sugar.
• Loosen the lid so the flat is just resting on the top of the jar and set aside in a warm spot, away from direct sunlight for 24 hours. Store extra ginger in the fridge.

Day 2 - 7

• Each day, open the jar and add 2 tablespoons of minced ginger and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Close the jar tightly and swirl until completely dissolved before loosening the lid and setting aside for 24 hours, until the next feeding.

Day 8:

• Strain the ginger bug, removing the solids, and reserve some of the remaining liquid and use some to make fizzy drinks! This leftover liquid is considered the starter.

Make Homemade Soda:

• Mix 1/4 cup of the starter with 4 cups of a sweetened, flavoured liquid.
• Pour it into a bottle with a tight seal, like a flip-top bottle, leaving 1/2-1″ headspace.
• Allow the soda to ferment at room temperature for up to 3 days. (Avoid going longer than 3 days between openings).
• Store unused portions of soda in the fridge to slow fermentation.

Maintaining The Ginger Bug:

• Strain off 1 cup of liquid.
• Place the ginger bug in the fridge in a closed jar.
• Feed your ginger bug weekly with 2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons water.
• To use a rested ginger bug, simply feed it, remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before straining off some starter liquid for your drinks.
• If your bug has been resting for some time, you may need to siphon off some liquid, and remove some of the solids, this is ok! Try to keep the jar at least half full.