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Post by Valerie on Apr 22, 2013 19:15:02 GMT -5
Ginger Bug Ingredients 3 cups water 3 teaspoons sugar 3 teaspoons diced ginger (from the comments: unpeeled works best) Ginger Bug Method In a quart size jar combine all ingredients. Place a tight lid on the jar, give it a shake and allow it to sit in a warm or room temperature spot (72-80F). If your home tends to be cool at night, consider getting a seedling mat. Place the jar on top of the mat and out of direct sun light. Every day for the next week add 2 more teaspoons each of sugar and diced ginger. The liquid will begin to get bubbly towards the end of the week. If you’re using the classic mason jar lid, you will be able to feel the top of the lid for pressure or even a distended lid. Give that baby a little burp. Once bubbly, it’s ready to use. (From the comments: Just store in the fridge until ready to use) Active Time: 10 minutes Yields: 1 quart ETA: I meant to give you the link, too, since there's good info in the comments: holisticsquid.com/how-to-make-a-ginger-bug/Once you have a ginger bug, you can make these: holisticsquid.com/apple-ginger-soda/and holisticsquid.com/cultured-strawberry-soda/and holisticsquid.com/old-fashioned-root-beer/I plan to get this started this week.
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Post by Sheila on Apr 22, 2013 20:10:37 GMT -5
hummmm interesting never heard of this before gonna try this just bought some fresh ginger a few days ago.
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Post by Valerie on Apr 27, 2013 10:26:14 GMT -5
My ginger bug is starting fizz just a tiny bit when I fed it today! I wonder what it would taste like to use already-canned grape cordial for the "wort" (the flavored part that you add the bug too). I have several quarts of it canned from last year's grapes. It has pulp in it, though, so I think I would strain it first.
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Post by Valerie on May 12, 2013 14:30:03 GMT -5
OK, I mixed 1/4 cup of ginger bug with a quart of strained grape cordial (mine had a good bit of pulp in it) and let it sit for a couple days. It definitely had a kind of bite to it, but not a lot of fizz. Not like a coke or anything. I thought it was good. Becky liked it OK, but not huge. Either way, it was something we could only drink a little bit of at a time, like maybe about 6 oz. The ginger bug ate up a good bit of the sweet but left good grape flavor. I'm making some more now. BTW it didn't taste alcoholic or yeasty at all. Some recipes say to make the bug with the lid off (covered with a cloth) and some on. It's humid here, so I leave the lid on.
I had the greatest idea a minute ago! Next week, I'm gonna brew up some roselle juice and use that!
One recipe I saw said use a cup of ginger bug a a quart of juice and one said 1/4 cup. I tried this new batch of grape with 1 cup, to see if it gets fizzier. It's going into it's 2nd day now.
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Post by Granny Smith on May 12, 2013 20:14:54 GMT -5
I mixed a cup and half of mine with a quart of club soda. I started with a cup, but it wasn't strong enough so I added another half cup. It wasn't good. I could still taste the club soda pretty strong and I don't like club soda, plus it makes me sick, and it wasn't sweet enough. I mixed in some maraschino cherry syrup to make it sweeter. That helped, but what really made it good was when Ben added a splash of lime juice.
I still have half of the Ginger Bug in the fridge. Haven't decided how to serve it yet.
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Post by Valerie on May 12, 2013 21:28:06 GMT -5
I don't think you're supposed to serve the ginger bug itself. You're supposed to use it like a starter to ferment other stuff into soda. I saw a recipe the other day on mother earth news where they used the ginger bug as a starter for fermented ginger ale. I'm going to try that, too, when I get more ginger.
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Post by Granny Smith on May 12, 2013 21:33:21 GMT -5
Well, shoot! I totally missed the point! I'll have to try it again.
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Post by Valerie on May 17, 2013 20:20:02 GMT -5
I gave Dave a taste of the grape soda today. He said, "Man, that was so good!" So I poured him a whole glass, on ice. He loved it! He liked that it had the fizzy feeling/taste without actually being carbonated. Carbonated stuff breaks him out. I'm starting a batch of ginger ale tomorrow!
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Post by Valerie on May 24, 2013 19:41:10 GMT -5
The ginger ale is delish!!! Even Beck liked it!
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Post by Valerie on Jun 4, 2013 18:51:04 GMT -5
Dave absolutely LOVES these ginger bug drinks. My ginger bug is more mature now and puts a ton of fizz in. That first initial sip has a somewhat alcoholic smell, but that's it. It doesn't taste anything like the wine my neighbor gave us that he made. I'll be starting some more ginger ale in the morning. Actually, he liked the grape soda made from our own grape juice best. It was stinkin' good! So good on ice on a hot day.
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Post by Valerie on Jun 15, 2013 8:04:24 GMT -5
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Post by Valerie on Jun 15, 2013 8:26:15 GMT -5
Oh yeah, in reading the comments more, I learned that it is important to use organic ginger. The enzymes that are needed for this to work are in the peel. Much of the non-organic ginger has been irradiated, killing the enzymes in the peel and making it not work. I saw a definite drop in fizz action when I used some ginger from the store.
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Post by Granny Smith on Jun 15, 2013 9:11:11 GMT -5
Interesting that the comments in the original thread said it worked better if you left the peel on. Maybe the store-bought ginger would work better with it peeled, especially if the peel has been treated to resist mold.
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Post by Valerie on Jun 15, 2013 11:27:57 GMT -5
No, apparently the enzymes are in the peel. So the store ginger wouldn't have them with or without. Even if you peeled the store ginger, you still wouldn't get those enzymes.
I wondered why sometimes my ginger bug is super fizzy and other times it's less. I think this might just be the difference. I ran out of ginger from the organic produce lady and got some from Walmart. Would you believe the organic produce lady sells it for cheaper than non-organic from Walmart? A lot of her produce is cheaper than theirs, and way fresher, too.
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Post by Granny Smith on Jun 15, 2013 13:22:45 GMT -5
The only choices I have are Walmart or Kroger. I know Kroger sells a good variety of organic vegetables. I'll have to see if they have organic ginger.
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