DIY Ginger Bug and Lacto-Fermented Soda

Reader Contribution by Sarah Cuthill
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Natural soda? You heard me! We are going to MacGyver some honest to goodness soda out of nothing but a ginger root, water, sugar, fruit juice and a paper

clip. Okay. No paper clip. But still, this is going to be pretty gosh darn amazing. 

In order to make our own natural soda, we are going to first need to make a soda starter culture known as a “ginger bug”. We will then use our ginger bug to make a carbonated soda with pronounceable ingredients and no preservatives. Why? Because it is fun and even slightly mad. That’s how we roll. 

What is a ginger bug? It is basically a lacto-fermented culture for making soda such as ginger beer. It can also be used in combination with any juice to make flavored sodas such as: orange soda, grape soda, root beer, and cherry soda. The lactobacillus bacteria, naturally present in the skin of ginger root, converts lactose sugars into carbon gas (bubbles) and lactic acid and even makes up a small portion of the gut flora aiding in digestion in humans. It helps to create soda pop you don’t have to be afraid to give to your children –always a plus in my book. 

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