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–+ servings

DIY Ginger Bug

Kate Schat
Making your own fermented drinks is easy when you DIY a ginger bug! This fermentation is a fun one for kids to do as well.
5 from 1 vote
Print DIY Pin DIY
Prep Time 30 minutes
Active Time 30 minutes
Fermentation 5 days
Total Time 5 days 1 hour
Type DIY, Drinks
Yields 1 ginger bug

Equipment

  • 1 quart jar
  • Paper towel and rubber band to cover jar

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon Fresh organic ginger root plus more daily
  • 1 cup filtered water plus more daily
  • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar plus more daily

Instructions
 

  • Make sure your ginger is fresh, clean and free of dirt or mold.
  • Cut up about 1 tablespoon of ginger into a find dice.
  • Pour 2 tablespoon sugar into 1 cup water in the jar and stir until mostly dissolved.
  • Add ginger chunks and stir again very well.
  • Cover with a paper towel and rubber band it, and place in a darker place until the next day. Make sure it is out of direct sunlight.
  • Feed your ginger bug daily with a tablespoon of sugar, and every few feeds, a tablespoon of diced ginger.
  • Repeat this process for 3-5 days and you will start to notice little bubbles on the second or third day. You want your culture to be very active with lots of fizzy bubbles.
  • At this point I like to pivot to keeping it in a quart jar, and feeding 2 tablespoon at a time.
  • How do I feed and care for my ginger bug?
    If you'd like to be using your ginger bug every day, you can be feeding it every day! Its ready to use in 12-24 hours in most climates. It definitely prefers warmth, so my 'cool kitchen' hack is to have it on the counter space above the dishwasher as 3x a day it gives off significant warmth.
    I like to use a quart jar to maintain mine in. After straining off most (I like to save back about ¼ cup of liquid+ginger chunks) of the liquid to ferment a drink (or just drink the liquid you strained off!), I add 2 tablespoon of sugar and then top it up with non-chlorinated water.
    Only every few feeds do I add roughly one tablespoon of chopped small organic ginger. If I don't want to use it everyday, I can feed it sugar every couple days, and it should stay happy this way. Still only feed ginger every few feeds, not every few days.
    If you need to take a break, pop it in the fridge after feeding. When I take it back out, I feed it with sugar and it should be ready tomorrow.

Notes

  • Yes, you must use organic ginger root here! Some conventional versions have been irradiated, which kills the "bugs" that make the active fermentation.
  • If you do not have an active ginger bug culture by 5 days, it could be due to not using organic ginger, or using unfiltered water.
  • It is super important to make sure all your instruments and vessels are very clean or you could inadvertently add some unwanted bacteria to your ginger culture.
  • Try again for a few more days if you do not have an active culture or try placing it in a warm sunny spot to give it some activating heat.
Tried this DIY?Let us know how it was!