Hi all, looking forward to chatting with you & learning lots on your forum.
Just started fermenting this year & at the moment I'm struggling with a ginger bug.
There's so much info on the web that firstly I'm confused about whether a ginger bug should be covered or not.
I've tried doing both:
My first bug which I put a tight lid on bubbled over & out of the lid in a couple of days & then went flat. I've tried to revive it by removing some liquid, topping up with water and adding a tablespoon of sugar daily but no, it's still flat.
My other bug I left uncovered and it now has a white film on the top, some suggest it's yeast & either leave it & stir it in or, remove it. I stirred it in & there were a few bubbles that then disappeared but now there are white floaty bits in it. I've attached a few pictures here. Should I continue with this one or dump it in the bin?
Any help appreciated.
What I did to make my bug was:
Chopped up ginger with skin on (not organic ginger)
Added 2 tablespoons brown sugar (website I followed said that brown is more nutritious for the bug than white)
Topped up the jar 3/4 full with filtered tap water
My kitchen is around 27 degrees c
Then everyday I removed 2 tablespoons of liquid, gave 1 tablespoon of brown sugar & topped up with filtered tap water.
Where have I gone wrong? Should the bug be covered with a tight lid or covered with a cloth or left uncovered ??
Should I start over ?