How to establish a ginger bug
After testing a few different ways to make a ginger bug, I chose my favorite. We start with an establishment period. The break-in period is typically 2-3 days, and I am committed to measuring accurately. By measuring things with precise quantities, we get the best balance of wild microbes. You’ll also notice that I use a tiny bit of salt in the first mixture. Salt helps promote the growth of lactic acid bacteria and a well-mixed population of yeasts and bacteria.
- First combine the following and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- 25 grams ginger root (chopped)
- 50 grams of water
- 5 grams of organic sugar
- 2 grams of salt
- Power supply: Let ferment for 24 hours, then add the following to the pot and stir well
- 25 grams ginger root (chopped)
- 50 grams of water
- 5 grams of organic sugar
- Repeat feeding every 24 hours until the mixture is bubbly. Once it is very vibrant, we call it ‘established’ and Use it all to brew or store it in the refrigeratordepending on how often you want to brew.
Deciding how often to brew
When it’s all bubbly, we call it “established” and have to make a choice, which depends on how often we plan to brew natural soda.
- Option one: Use it all to brew. Start over from step one and make a new bug the next time you make soda.
- Option two: Use some for brewing and store the rest in a sealed jar in the refrigerator as a ‘basic starter’.
I prefer other fermented drinks and don’t make gingerbug soda very often. If you’re like me and only brew wild ginger soda occasionally, I usually make wild ginger soda once or twice a year, then you’ll want to use option one in the recipe.
If option one doesn’t appeal to you because you plan to brew wild soda with your ginger bug on a regular basis, like every week, because you love wild soda with ginger bug, then you make your ginger bug, and once it’s established, put it in the refrigerator.
While it’s in the refrigerator, think of it as a basic ginger bug starter. To brew wild soda with it, take some of the basic starter out of the refrigerator and feed it fresh ginger, water, and sugar to make more of the fizzy bug to brew with. If you’re familiar with sourdough, it’s akin to taking some sourdough scraps from the refrigerator and using them to make an active starter for baking at room temperature.
How to Store a Ginger Bug in the Refrigerator
So if you plan on brewing regularly, you should save your basic ginger bug in the refrigerator.
- You feed him occasionally to keep him active, but he stays in the refrigerator.
- To keep him moderately active, you can feed him once a week.
- Feed it by draining the liquid, then add a 20% sugar solution and add fresh ginger occasionally.
- Feed the food and immediately put it back in the refrigerator so it metabolizes the sugars more slowly.
- Keep a regular, sturdy lid on the jar (not a cloth lid).
How to activate from the refrigerator for brewing
To use your established gingerbug in the refrigerator for brewing, determine how much soda you want to brew. I recommend using 50 grams of ginger bug per liter of soda.
Mix these ingredients in a clean jar in the following proportions: 10% insects from the refrigerator, 20% fresh, chopped ginger, 50% water and 20% sugar.
So, for example, if I want to brew two liters of wild soda, I will need about 100 grams of bug in total. So I combine:
- 10 grams of insect from the refrigerator
- 20 grams of fresh chopped ginger
- 50 grams of water
- 20 grams of sugar
It should bubble shortly after feeding and you can use it right away to make gingerbug soda.
Can I Feed My Ginger Bug Turmeric?
Yes! You can feed it with ginger or turmeric. Switching back and forth and feeding a mix of ginger and turmeric is also a great option!
You can also incorporate edible flowers into your ginger or turmeric bug. Moreover, it is fun to experiment with other rhizomes and roots, such as lotus root, carrot, sweet potato and beets.
How much Ginger Bug do I need?
The amount of gingerbug you need is determined by the amount of soda you want to brew. You need 50 grams of ginger bug per liter (1,000 ml) of wild soda. For example, if I want to make 2 liters of soda, I need about 100 grams of ginger tea in total.
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Preparation:
15 minutes -
Total time:
48 hours 15 minutes
- Ingredient amounts are not listed because you all use different amounts depending on how long it takes for your bug to bubble and how much you plan to brew ginger bug soda. Read the recipe notes.
- Wash about 25 grams of ginger root and chop it finely. (I suggest chopping/chopping with a knife, not grating)
- Combine 25 grams of ginger root, 50 grams of water, 5 grams of organic sugar and 2 grams of sea salt. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Cover with a tightly woven cloth secured with a rubber band and let ferment for 24 hours.
- Power supply: After 24 hours, feed the beetle by adding 25 grams of chopped ginger root, 50 grams of water and 5 grams of organic sugar to the jar. (Doing not add more salt while feeding)
- Cover with a tightly woven cloth secured with an elastic band and allow to ferment for another 24 hours.
- Repeat feeding every 24 hours until bubbly.
- Once it’s very vibrant, we call it ‘established’ and we have two options
- Option one: Use it all to brew. Then start over from step one and make a new bug the next time you make ginger bug soda.
- Option two: Use some for brewing and store the rest in a sealed jar in the refrigerator as a ‘basic starter’.
- If you plan to keep it alive in the refrigerator, feed it once a week: Drain the liquid, add a 20% sugar solution and occasionally add some fresh ginger. (for example, a 20% sugar solution is 10 grams of sugar in 50 ml of water)
- To revive a ginger beetle from the refrigerator for brewing you will need approx 50 grams of insects per liter of ginger bug soda. To make 100 grams of bug for brewing: Combine 10 grams of insect from the refrigerator, 20 grams of freshly chopped ginger, 50 grams of water and 20 grams of sugar in a clean jar. Cover with a cloth lid and let ferment at room temperature. It should be bubbly within a few hours. Once fizzy, use it to brew gingerbug soda. Click here for my master recipe for gingerbread soda.
Comments
- You can use ginger or turmeric.
- Organic cane sugar is essential; conventional cane sugar doesn’t work as well.
- Your source of ginger is important. Homegrown and farmer’s market sourced insects will produce the most vibrant, well-balanced insects.
- If you plan to brew only a few times a year, don’t keep bugs in the refrigerator. It’s wasteful. Start a new bug the next time you plan to brew.
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