Friends, readers, and fellow fermenters, the moment has arrived. After weeks of being "the ginger bug" and "her" and "that jar on the counter," she finally has a name.
Beatrice.
Thank you, truly, to everyone who sent ideas. I read every single one with a very serious face, like a judge on an important panel. Naming a ginger bug is a bigger job than it sounds. I feed her daily, she fills my kitchen with tiny bubbles, and she's responsible for a growing share of what's in my fridge. She deserved a name with some backbone. Beatrice sounds like a woman who runs the church kitchen, knows everyone's business, and has never once let a casserole go cold. I think that's exactly right.
The winning suggestion came from Virginia, and I'd like it noted for the record that she nailed it.
And Beatrice has been busy. Behold the first batch under her new name: five bottles of cherry pop, dark red, lined up on my counter like a very well-behaved choir, sealed up and ready to start their fizzing. The recipe is the same two things as always, tart cherry juice and Beatrice. She does the rest, quietly, on my counter, while I do other things. (Yes, I burp the bottles. Respect the fizz.)
Want to make your own? The how-to is right here, and I'd encourage you to name yours too. I have no evidence that they respond better to being called by name, but I'm not taking chances.
To everyone who wrote in, thank you. You made a jar of ginger and sugar feel like part of the family, and that's the nicest thing a blog could ask for.
— Granny
📸 real photo
