Combine your chopped or grated ginger root, water, and granulated sugar in a sterilized glass jar. Tip: I sterilized my jar in the microwave for 60 seconds. Washing it in the dishwasher or boiling it for 10 minutes also works.

Give it a good stir with a clean wooden spoon or shake (lid on!) to mix everything thoroughly.

Loosely cover the jar with a lid or a clean cheesecloth secured with a rubber band.

Find a warm spot in your house to let the ginger bug sit undisturbed—but not in direct sunlight or a hot location.

For the next 5 days, add 2 tablespoons of chopped ginger and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the jar daily.

By day 5, you should start to see little bubbles forming at the bottom of the jar or around the ginger floating at the top – this is a sign that the wild ferment is alive and active! If there’s no activity, check the taste: if it’s sweet, add more ginger; if it’s sour, add more sugar, and wait another day. Another option is to just let it rest an extra day without mixing any extra sugar and ginger. See the full post for more troubleshooting tips.

Once your ginger bug is active and bubbly, strain out the ginger pieces and transfer the liquid to a clean bottle. This liquid is now a concentrated starter culture that you can use to ferment sweetened teas or fruit juices into homemade, probiotic-rich sodas. It's basically the key to unlocking a world of natural sodas and non-alcoholic beverages.

After straining and using your ginger bug to kickstart a wonderful fermented beverage, don’t just toss the leftover ginger and liquid! Store your active ginger bug in the refrigerator in a jar with a loose-fitting lid. This cooler environment slows down the fermentation process, meaning it requires less maintenance while stored.

Aim to feed it once a week with 1 tablespoon of grated ginger and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Give it a good stir, and place it back in the fridge.

If your ginger bug has been in the fridge for a while and seems a little sluggish (not as bubbly as usual), don’t worry! Bring it back to room temperature, and resume the daily feedings of ginger and sugar as you did in the initial process. In a few days, it should perk right back up and be ready to ferment beverages once more.

For long-term storage, you can actually freeze your ginger bug! Place it in a clean, airtight container (leaving some space for expansion) and stash it in your freezer. When you’re ready to use it again, thaw it in the fridge, and then follow the steps for reviving a dormant ginger bug.