Start with a clean, dry glass jar and gather your ginger, sugar, and water. Wash the jar with hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and let it air dry.

Peel and grate the ginger to yield about 1/4 cup.

Pour the 2 cups of filtered water into the jar first. Add the grated ginger and sugar directly into the water.

Stir the mixture for about one minute to dissolve the sugar and distribute the ginger evenly.

Cover the jar with cheesecloth held in place by a rubber band, allowing for air circulation while keeping dust out.

Daily, stir with a clean spoon and add one teaspoon of fresh grated ginger plus one teaspoon of sugar to feed the mixture.

By day two or three, you should see bubbles and smell a fermented aroma.

Your Ginger Bug is ready when it tastes tangy and fizzy with vigorous bubbling, typically by day five to seven.

Strain the Ginger Bug through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean bowl, discarding solids.

Transfer the strained Ginger Bug into glass bottles with caps and refrigerate.

Burp your bottles every few days by loosening the cap to safely release excess gas.