Fermentation takes on a whole new angle with fermented beverages

My kombucha is still being weird and doesn't seem to want to grow an actual SCOBY although it does taste and smell like the right bacteria is having a blast. But my patience comes a little easier since I started trying to make as natural sodas using fermentation.

Left to right: Maracuja, Ginger-Lemon, Ginger-Orange

I did a fair amount of research and started by making a ginger bug. This was the easiest process  and mine was not particularly picky. Once the process started a few days in, it was very clear to see what various bloggers were talking about when they described to process. The post I used from Wellness Mama has very easy to follow instructions that I then changed ever so slightly to accommodate my far smaller scale batch. And all you need is Ginger, Sugar (in my experience white sugar worked best), water and a glass jar. 

To start I combined about 1.5 tablespoons on grated ginger with 1.5 tablespoons sugar and a generous cup of water and cover lightly to allow to ferment. Now, I fed my mixture about once every other day and after about 5 days I had a culture that was probably already ready to use, but I left it out for another day before refrigerating to be safe. This is obviously subject to vary depending on temperature and surrounding conditions. 

Once this was done the actual soda is just tea, juice, infusion or cocktail of your choice plus some sugar for the bacteria and some of the liquid form the ginger bug. This would be the step where I completely disregarded the measurements and eyeballed the whole process. My first try was one with tea made from fresh ginger and lime juice. once that cooled I added about 2 tablespoons of sugar for 1.5L of liquid and then added a hearty swig of the ginger bug juice and let that sit with a coffee filter over the top for about 3 days before covering and letting it carbonate for another two days. This batch was less fizzy that I was hoping for, but the bottles pictured above are round two and they are looking very good. I decided to cover them lightly for about 2 days or until a few small bubbles collected around the top when I was checking them and them covered them. I also bought airtight bottles especially for this project because these release tops are practical and more reliable than regular old bottles. Also glass containers are always recommended for fermentation processes.

I have been having so much fun trying all of these and they are so much tastier than overly sweet store bought alternatives. If you try this let me know how it worked for you!