Place the ginger, sugar, and water in a quart-size wide-mouth mason jar and shake gently to dissolve the sugar.

Cover the jar with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and a lid ring or rubber band and set the jar in a warm spot to ferment.

Every day for the next week, add one tablespoon each of finely chopped (or grated) ginger and sugar to “feed” the ginger bug. Toward the end of the week you should notice some bubbly action in the jar and you may notice a faint yeast smell. These are all signs that fermentation is happening as it should! If you do not notice any bubbly action after a week, or if mold forms on the surface, you may need to start again.

Once bubbles have formed at the top of the ginger bug, it is ready for use in your homemade soda recipe. Pour off the amount that you need for the soda recipe, and replenish the ginger bug for future use.

To keep the ginger bug alive, feed it daily as above. If you will not be using the ginger bug for a while, you can store it in a refrigerator and feed it once a week. When you are ready to use your ginger bug again, place it in a room temperature location and resume feeding it daily.