Strawberry Soda Using A Ginger Bug
I can’t get enough of ginger bug sodas! I started making them over 2 years ago when I stumbled upon a recipe for homemade root beer. I was intrigued when I learned that it got its fizziness from nothing more than a concoction of ginger, sugar and water. Because I always have ginger in my fridge, I started making it the next day. Your first ginger bug takes 5-8 days before you can start carbonating beverages with it, because it has to ferment with daily feedings of ginger and sugar. Once you see a fervent blanket of sweet smelling bubbles on top, your ginger bug is ready. (Learn how to make a ginger bug here.)
What also fascinated me was the fact that these so called lacto fermented sodas are actually healthy for you. Ginger bug sodas fall into the category of fermented foods, and we all know that our digestive systems thrive when we feed them foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt and sourdough. They release probiotics that help break down our foods (among other things), allowing more nutrients to be absorbed by the body. That’s why if you’re a soda drinker, you might seriously want to consider saying adios to your sugar loaded commercial sodas and trading for some ginger bug love!
Every June I love to pick strawberries, and because you can make a ginger bug soda out of literally any ingredient, I decided to play with a strawberry soda. I was so impressed with the results that I never wanted the bottle to empty—but it did. Fast.
You can use fresh or frozen strawberries. The only sugars I have used for ginger bug sodas are plain granulated white sugar and brown sugar. Many people use natural cane sugar, but I read somewhere that white granulated works best. Do not try to skimp on the sugar in an attempt to make it healthier. The ginger bug will need it to feed on and fizzy up your beverage. The result will be less sweet than before you add the ginger bug. Also, don’t try to use honey—especially raw. Honey is loaded with antibacterial properties that will kill the cultures that are essential to fermentation. This means your soda will not become bubbly. Also, make sure the water you use is chlorine free. If your tap water is treated with chlorine, allow it to sit out in a container for 24 hours and the chlorine will dissipate. Alternatively, you can use bottled water.
Using cheesecloth is essential to making this soda. I only use a couple of layers, and you can reuse it by simply washing it very well in plenty of hot water and vinegar until all the solids are removed. Cheesecloth is also great because you can easily squeeze every bit of juice from the fruit, leaving nothing behind. Make certain that the strawberry wort is cooled completely before adding the strained ginger bug, because heat can kill it. And remember, you need ¼ cup of ginger bug for every quart of beverage you plan to carbonate.
And finally, don’t forget to re-feed your ginger bug after you’ve used some. Add about a teaspoon of grated or chopped ginger (skin on), the same amount of sugar and enough water to top it off. Refrigerate it with a loose lid to allow breathing, and try to feed it more ginger and sugar if you don’t plan to use it for a while. Try this recipe using other fruits and search for your favorite flavor of lacto fermented ginger bug soda!
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 cups water, chlorine free
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1/4 cup active ginger bug
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine strawberries, sugar, water and salt (if using).
- Cover and bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Mash strawberries halfway during cooking time and be sure to keep the lid on pot to avoid reducing.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Pass liquid through a strainer lined with a few layers of cheesecloth. Squeeze well to remove all the liquid from the solids.
- When liquid is completely cooled, add ginger bug.
- Fill glass swing top lid bottles or recycled plastic bottles with screw tops 2/3 full to allow room for gas expansion.
- Allow soda to ferment in a warm place away from direct sunlight for a few days. Be sure to burp bottles every 8 hours.
- When soda is bubbly, refrigerate and serve, continuing to burp bottles every 8 hours until soda is consumed.
- Soda will keep for 5-7 days and will become less sweet.
I love your YouTube recipe using ginger bug! I watched more than 10 times, That was how I started making a ginger bug and homemade pop.
I enjoy your ginger bug soda recipes! I’ll try the strawberry next time! I have just made the pineapple soda tonight and waiting for being carbonated.
Do you have more ginger bug soda recipes? If so please upload on your blog or YouTube! Thank you so much!
I cook and music!
A2C
Thank you for the nice message! I’ll bet your pineapple soda will be delicious. I will keep posting more 🙂
your video was vary helpful because my ginger bug did not turn out well
I would love to see some more of your recipes for ginger bug sodas
Great video and the strawberry soda tastes amazing. Do you know how much of the sugar is in teh recipe for carbonation? I am trying to experiment with the sugar content to make the carbonation consistent.
Thanks
Thanks! I always use 1/2 cup sugar to 1 litre of liquid…for this you need 1/4 cup of ginger bug for carbonation. Sometimes I reduce the sugar slightly if I am using a lot of sweet fruit.
My husband and I have just started making our first batch of ginger bug. He makes beer and has questions about why this is so very different from making beer as he ferments it and then bottles it with no need for releasing the gas except at one point when he has it in a big container with an air-lock on it.
I have a bunch of juice from currants and strawberries in my freezer that I am planning to use for our first batches of juice.
Hello! That is great that you are exploring ginger bug. It’s a wonderful thing to have in life and I wouldn’t be without it. However I do not really know why beer can be bottled but this can’t (or maybe it can?) My guess is that it’s a more natural, therefore aggressive ferment that has a shorter shelf life/runs its course by nature. I have always treated it as something to be made in smaller batches and consumed more quickly than conventional fermenting projects. If you find a way to preserve it better, please let me know. I hope this helps!
This didn’t work for me. I went to burp on the second day and a veritable geyer spewed forth, completely emptying both bottles. All over my kitchen. I think I’ll stick to ginger beer and dandelion soda.
Whoa! I am sorry that happened—I’ve been there. It must have been in a very warm place or maybe your strawberries were super sweet. I have ginger bugged Welch’s grape juice—very sweet—and if you don’t burp early thus happens. I guess with all that sugar the ginger bug gets over excited. Dandelion soda? Yum!
I have just used this recipe to make BlackBerry soda keeping to the same quantities. If you were using any other fruit would you keep to the same quantities/proportions. Eg 2 cups of pineapple, 2 of plums, apples? Etc
Many thank
Blackberry soda sounds delicious! Yes, 2 cups of any similar fruit should yield great soda of this amount. I love using peaches! Thank you for your comment, and enjoy your sodas! 😀
Do I stir up the yeast at the bottoms when feeding and when using the ginger bug to make ginger beer?
I usually stir or shake it. Fermentation likes to be circulated so I feel it is necessary.
Why does the fruit need to be strained? Couldn’t it all be blended together so as not to waste it? It would be more like a smoothie, I guess!
I think you could certainly put the pulp in too, it would just be more like a fizzy smoothie 🙂