How To Rehydrate Your Ginger Bug

Rehydrating your Ginger Bug is easy. Just give it a few feedings of ginger, raw sugar, and filtered water. In a few days, your Ginger Bug will be bubbly and ready to make soda-pop.

Ginger bug rehydration instructions

Time needed: 6 days. Equipment: a glass jar with a cloth cover. Initial feeding:

• 1 packet Dehydrated Ginger Bug
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated organic ginger
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar
• 1/2 cup filtered chlorine-free water

Daily feeding

After the initial feeding, feed your Ginger Bug each day with:

• 1 tablespoon fresh grated organic ginger
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar
• 1/4 cup filtered water

Directions

Step 1 - Combine all of the ingredients for the Initial Feeding into a quart-sized (or larger) glass jar. Mix thoroughly until all of the sugar has been dissolved. Step 2 - Cover with a tea towel and place jar in a dark, warm, and dry location for 24 hours. Stir mixture occasionally throughout the day if possible. Step 3 - After 24 hours, feed your ginger bug the ingredients listed under Daily Feeding and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Return jar to location and continue to stir occasionally. Step 4 - Each day, continue feeding your ginger bug according to the Daily Feeding instructions and mix vigorously. Your ginger bug is ready to use once it is bubbly, makes a fizzing sound, and has a layer of fermented ginger floating on top (about 6-7 days).

Use only organic ginger and filtered water

Chemicals such as pesticides and chlorine can kill the bacteria and yeast that we need to create our ferment. Because of this, you should always use clean, filtered water and organic ginger when rehydrating and feeding your Ginger Bug.

Keep your ginger bug in a dark, warm, and dry location

The ideal location for your Ginger Bug is someplace warm (no warmer than 90F), dark, and dry (humid locations attract mold). For example, a kitchen cabinet above a refrigerator or appliance.

Cover your ginger bug with a cloth

Use the included muslin cloth to cover your Ginger Bug culture jar. This helps to keep away environmental molds and yeasts that we don't want in our mixture.

Ginger bug rehydration timeline

Here is a quick breakdown of what to expect each day of the rehydration process.

• Day 0 - First Feeding: After your first feeding, you won't see any bubbles or much activity at all. Cover your bug and store it in a dark, warm location for 24 hours.
• Day 1 - Second Feeding: 24 hours after your first feeding, you may see small bubbles or you may not see any bubbling at all.
• Day 2 - Third Feeding: 24 hours after your second feeding, you should start to see some bubbles forming at the top of your culture.
• Day 3 - Fourth Feeding: 24 hours after your third feeding, your Ginger Bug culture should definitely have bubbles forming on top. If you don't see any bubbles at this point, there may be something wrong with one of your ingredients. Contact us ASAP so that we can help you troubleshoot.
• Day 4 - Onward: As you continue to feed your Ginger Bug, the culture will become stronger with more bubbles. At this point, your culture is considered active, but we recommend feeding until at least Day 6 before making soda.

My ginger bug looks ready after one day. Can I use it to make soda?

We recommend that you give your Ginger Bug at least 6 days of feedings before using it to make soda. The longer you feed your Ginger Bug, the stronger it will become. Your patience will be rewarded with a delicious fizzy soda.

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Your patience will be rewarded with a delicious fizzy soda.

I don't see any bubbles after a few days. What happened?

There are a number of things that can slow down the fermentation process or (worst case scenario) kill your Ginger Bug:

• Temperature: Cooler temperatures (below 70F) will begin to slow down the fermentation process and hot temperatures (over 90F) could kill your bugs. Was your Ginger Bug stored in a location that was too hot or too cold? If so, try moving it to a new location and continue feedings.
• Chemicals: Did you use chlorine-free, filtered water? Did you feed your Ginger Bug with organic ginger? Pesticides and chemicals found in tap water can (and will) kill your bugs.
• Missed Feedings: Did you miss one or more feedings during the first few days of rehydration? This can dramatically slow down (or even kill) your Ginger Bug culture.

I see a white film forming on my ginger bug. What is it?

Undesirable yeasts and molds can sometimes end up in your ferment for a variety of reasons. If you see colored mold or a thick white film on your Ginger Bug, it has become contaminated and should be discarded immediately. What caused the contamination? Was your Ginger Bug covered with the included muslin cloth? Did you feed your Ginger Bug daily with organic ginger, chlorine-free water, and sugar? Was your Ginger Bug culture kept in a warm spot?

I don't see a lot of floating ginger. Why?

Your Ginger Bug will have pieces of floating ginger because the bubbles created from the fermentation process are lifting the pieces to the top of the jar. If you use small pieces of ginger to feed your bug, you will have more floating ginger pieces than if you use larger (heavier) pieces of ginger to feed your bug.