Ginger Brew

Refreshing Ginger Beer. It's a super easy fermentation that takes a little patience but is worth the outcome.  It's great to have around the house for kids or for anyone wanting a super fizzy, carbonated beverage that has loads of health giving properties.


Ginger Beer ingredients:
3 inches or more fresh ginger root
2 cups sugar
2 lemons
water

Process:
1. Start the "ginger bug": Add 2 teaspoons of grated ginger (skin and all) and 2 teaspoons of sugar to 1 cup of water. Stir well and leave in a warm spot, covered with cheesecloth to allow free circulation of air. Add this amount of sugar and ginger every day until the bug starts bubbling. This usually takes anywhere from 2 days to 1 week.
2. You can make the ginger beer

Ferments- Healthy From The Inside... Out

I love to ferment pretty much anything and everything. There's something about the unpredictable nature that really draws me to it, yet it's very scientific. Every time I ferment, whether it's sauerkraut, kombucha or applesauce the results are slightly different. The cultures are always variable and they seem to have a personality all their own. I know I post some fairly odd looking pictures from time to time, so I wanted to explain briefly what it is and why I do it.

Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. (thanks to Wiki)

Fermented foods have been around since we have. All over the world various cultures use and have used different techniques to preserve food, rendering it more digestible and nutritious in the process. Up until this century, refrigeration was not an option so preservation (aka fermentation) ruled supreme. Unfortunately due to the mass