Naturopathic Control: Ginger bug

Ginger bug aka 'first ferment' is a fermentation starter culture. In other words, it is rich in wild bacteria and (fermentation) yeast that will help you to kickstart other fermented products like ginger ale, probiotic lemonade and other sweet fermented effervescent fresh fruit drinks (or sodas). While some people also devise ways of using the ginger bug, this post will focus on using the ginger bug in the more common way, ie as a fermentation starter that may be kept alive for up to years on end to start a wide variety of drinks.

Uses & benefits of a ginger bug

Rich source of lactobacilli, the health-enhancing probiotics or 'good bacteria' (like those found in yogurt) that promote the growth of healthy flora in the intestines and helps with digestion and the absorption of nutrients
to preserve nutrients
to break down nutrients into their more digestible forms

You will need:

pure water, non-chlorinated
ginger root, fresh, partly grated / finely diced / finely minced (preferably organic so you can use the skin). I hate grating foods. A manual workaround is to thinly slice the ginger, chop and then smash the slices. Works fine for me as this makes it easy for straining away the fiber afterwards. If you have organic material, wash rather than discard the skin. You can wash and scrub ginger with diluted vinegar or lemon juice without killing all of the good bacteria. However, washing them this way, along with scrubbing them will remove wax coating.
sugar, white
transparent, wide-mouthed glass jar for fermenting and storing the ginger bug. Transparency of this primary fermentation bottle allows you the brewer to observe the ferment. The wide mouth allows the brewer to easily feed, empty and fill the jar.
hot water and soap to sanitize the bottle

Steps for making the ginger bug

Combine the following in a glass jar

grated ginger, 2 tbsp to 1 cup (according to your taste). You can use the skins. Set aside the remaining un-grated ginger for later. You will need to grate a little more periodically to continually feed the bug.
2 tbsp white sugar
2 cups of water.

Cover the jar. You need not seal the jar with an airlock. The cover really only needs to keep out dust or other contaminants.
Allow to stand at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for 24 hours. (Overtime, direct sunlight can sterilize fermentations over time)
Every day, feed the bug by combining the following very well into the mixture.

1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp grated sugar

Stir vigorously to oxygenate the liquid as this is useful to the yeast and to re-submerge ginger pieces that may have been pushed up to the liquid's surface.
Watch for signs of successful fermentation:

build up of gas within the mixture. This is evident through bubbles and a popping sound when uncovering a securely closed lid.
The mixture starts to get cloudy.
The mixture makes a fizzing sound
ginger solids settle to the bottom.
white yeast settles at the bottom. This is completely normal.
bubbles form a frothy layer on top of the bug, even without the bottle being sealed.
the mixture has a slight smell of yeast (somewhat like how beer smells)

Decide whether you will refrigerate your ginger bug or leave it at room temperature. The feeding requirements for your options are as follows

Refrigerated: feed once weekly
Room temperature: feed daily as above

Things you might observe.

GOOD / ACCEPTABLE

It is common for some people to see their culture turn pink. This is safe. This is possibly due to mineral contents in your fermentation.

BAD SIGNS

the culture becomes dark and or slimy

You can keep the ginger bug alive for months to years on end, even after starting to use it (for fermented sweet drinks).

Top up with more unchlorinated water and continue feeding the bug to populate the new volume of water
If you wonder whether the bug is still alive, test it by observing if a small amount can make a sweet drink (that has no other starter). If the sweet drink starts to bubble within about 24 hours, the bug is still alive.
If the ginger pieces begin to crowd the jar, strain off the spent ginger and then add new stock. BTW, an indicator that the ginger is very old is when it turns brown. You do not need to wait for the ginger to get brown before removing it however. The liquid alone will already have the useful bacteria.