Ginger Beer

From Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon

• 14 teaspoons ground ginger
• 14 teaspoons white sugar
• filtered water
• 3 cups rapadura
• juice of 4 lemons

Genuine ginger beer begins with a “bug” made by feeding 2 teaspoons ground ginger and 2 teaspoons white sugar to a culture for seven days. White sugar is used for the small quantity needed to make the “bug,” but rapadura is used for the larger quantity that goes into the beer.

Place 1 1/2 cups water, 2 teaspoons ground ginger and 2 teaspoons white sugar in a jar. Cover, shake well and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. Feed the culture with 2 teaspoons each of sugar and ground ginger every day for 7 days, leaving culture at room temperature. On the seventh day, it should produce bubbles. If not, throw away and start again.

Dissolve rapadura in 10 cups boiling water. Place in a very large bowl. Add lemon juice and 20 more cups water. Carefully pour off the liquid from the “bug” and add to the bowl, reserving the sediment. Mix well and transfer to bottles with wire-held corks or stoppers. Let stand 14 days at room temperature before drinking.

To make a new “bug,” throw half of the ginger – sugar sediment away and reserve the rest. Add 1 1/2 cups water and feed with 2 teaspoons each sugar and ginger for 7 days, as before.

Makes 7-8 litres

There are more fermented drinks in Sprouted and Fermented Foods