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| One way to make ginger ale/beer (soda): | | One way to make ginger ale/beer (soda): |
| you need to culture a "ginger bug" pet -soda starter- with the ginger.
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| to do this: | | First, you need to culture a "[[Ginger Bug Soda Starter|ginger bug]]" pet -soda starter- with the ginger. See how to do this [[Ginger Bug Soda Starter| here]]. |
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| take 2 cups of water + 2 tablespoons of minced ginger (WITH THE SKIN ON!*) + 2 tablespoons raw sugar (if you don't have raw you can add a dollop of molasses for nutrients).
| | ==To make a 1/2 gallon of ginger ale:== |
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| | 1. Boil chopped or grated ginger in water until really fragrant and strong (15-20-30 minutes). How much ginger to use depends on how strong you like it, if you like a little burning sensation in the back of your throat use a good sized knob per 1/2 gallon) (Experiment by using a 1-2 inch long piece, adding or reducing the amount based on your tastes). |
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| *it's important to leave the skin, because you are cultivating the yeast already present there.
| | 2. Stir in a 1/2 cup of sugar and let it cool completely. Note: You must '''never''' add the soda starter to hot liquid because you will kill your happy little microbe critters, -this is sad-. |
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| | 3. After cooled, add 1/2 cup of the [[Ginger Bug Soda Starter| ginger bug soda starter]], stir, and cover with secured cloth. Some people strain the ginger chunks out prior to culturing, but this is not necessary; it can also be strained prior to bottling, and some people don't even strain it at all. |
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| | 4. Stir it once a day and until the whole thing is activated. 3-5 days (depending on temperature of room, in really warm times of year it may culture faster, and take longer in colder times). You will know it's activated when it fizzes up like crazy when you stir it. You may also taste it.. if it's too sweet, you may want to let it sit awhile longer for the microbes to consume more of the sugar. Technically, after it is activated though you can bottle it. Leaving the bottled ale out at room temperature for another day or two will ensure a fizzy drink.. store in fridge or very cold place to retard further processing of the culture. |
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| mix the above in a quart sized mason jar and cover with a clean cloth secured with a rubber band. set this in a warmer spot (since it's winter now) for faster action. everyday add 1-2 teaspoons each of minced ginger and sugar, stirring. until it gets frothy, bubbly and obviously activated. This may take up to 2 weeks, but likely will happen faster, unless it's super cold, which retards their growth and activity. You will know it's activated when every time you feed it it gets very bubbly afterwards and you can hear it making little (crackling, popping,?) noises when you put it near your ear.
| | '''It is an art figuring out timing, and sweetness prior to bottling, etc. It may get VERY fizzy in the bottles if there is too much sugar still when you bottled. ->You've been warned.<- ;)''' |
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| | | [[Category:Health solutions]] |
| After it is really good and activated you can strain liquid out to culture any number of beverages. It takes 1/4 of a cup of starter to every quart of liquid you want to culture.
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| So if you make a gallon of ginger based drink, you'll use 1 cup of starter to culture it. Every time you remove liquid you'll want to replace it with fresh water and a good feeding, continue to feed everyday until it has a chance to replenish itself and get activated again. If you know you will need more than 1.5 cups of starter (as in making multiple gallons of beverage) you may want to add more water ahead of time and get it ready, because after you replace the liquid starter removed with water it may take a couple days to get fully activated again).
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| Once it is good and activated (bubbly and happy) you can feed it one more time, then cap the jar and pop it in the fridge.. this way, in between needing it you don't have to keep feeding it daily. It will be fine in the fridge for months at a time in a dormant state, then when you need it again just take it out, feed it (ginger and sugar) and replace cap with secured cloth and let it warm back up. Mine came roaring back happily after months in the fridge with no problems.
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| You can culture lots of yummy naturally fizzy drinks "lacto-sodas" with this, and depending on how long you let it age (read: eat all the sugar in the drink) will give between trace amounts (nearly no) alcohol content to a small alcohol content if allowed to eat all the sugar (as in it gets lost in the back of your fridge for a couple months, then you drink it, it will probably have a small alcohol content.)
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| To make a 1/2 gallon of ginger ale:
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| boil chopped ginger in water until really fragrant and strong (15-20 minutes), how much ginger to use depends on how strong you like it, if you like a little burning sensation in the back of your throat use a good sized knob per 1/2 gallon :) (i usually use about a 1-2 inch long piece, and i usually grate it).
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| stir in 1/2 cup of sugar and then let it cool completely down. *you must never add your soda starter to hot liquid because you will kill your happy little microbe critters. -this is sad-
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| after it is cooled, add 1/2 cup of the ginger bug, stir, and cover with secured cloth. Some people may strain the ginger chunks out prior to culturing but i strain prior to bottling..
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| stir it once a day and until the whole thing is activated. 3-5 days (depending on temperature of room). You will know it's activated when it fizzes up like crazy when you stir it. You may also taste it.. if it's too sweet, you may want to let it sit awhile longer. But technically after it is activated you may bottle it. Leaving the bottled ale out at room temperature for another day or two will ensure a fizzy drink.. store in fridge or very cold place to retard further processing of the culture. *It is an art figuring out timing, and sweetness prior to bottling, etc. It may get VERY fizzy in the bottles if there is too much sugar still when you bottled. you've been warned. ;)
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| Drinks i've made using the ginger bug:
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| ~ ginger ale
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| ~ lemonade "lemon ale/beer"
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| ~ turn store bought dead juice into something healthy and alive with the ginger bug!
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| the ginger bug eats the sugar in the juice and turns it into fizz and lactic acid with lots of b-vitamins and good stuff. no need to add sugar obviously with store bought juices.. just add 1/4 cup of gingerbug per quart of juice, cover with cloth, and wait for the magic, bottle or refrigerate after activated and sufficiently unsweetened according to your tastes.
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| i've heard you can make rootbeer too, but i haven't tried it though i'd like to.. mmmm
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One way to make ginger ale/beer (soda):
First, you need to culture a "ginger bug" pet -soda starter- with the ginger. See how to do this here.
To make a 1/2 gallon of ginger ale:
1. Boil chopped or grated ginger in water until really fragrant and strong (15-20-30 minutes). How much ginger to use depends on how strong you like it, if you like a little burning sensation in the back of your throat use a good sized knob per 1/2 gallon) (Experiment by using a 1-2 inch long piece, adding or reducing the amount based on your tastes).
2. Stir in a 1/2 cup of sugar and let it cool completely. Note: You must never add the soda starter to hot liquid because you will kill your happy little microbe critters, -this is sad-.
3. After cooled, add 1/2 cup of the ginger bug soda starter, stir, and cover with secured cloth. Some people strain the ginger chunks out prior to culturing, but this is not necessary; it can also be strained prior to bottling, and some people don't even strain it at all.
4. Stir it once a day and until the whole thing is activated. 3-5 days (depending on temperature of room, in really warm times of year it may culture faster, and take longer in colder times). You will know it's activated when it fizzes up like crazy when you stir it. You may also taste it.. if it's too sweet, you may want to let it sit awhile longer for the microbes to consume more of the sugar. Technically, after it is activated though you can bottle it. Leaving the bottled ale out at room temperature for another day or two will ensure a fizzy drink.. store in fridge or very cold place to retard further processing of the culture.
It is an art figuring out timing, and sweetness prior to bottling, etc. It may get VERY fizzy in the bottles if there is too much sugar still when you bottled. ->You've been warned.<- ;)