January 18, 2010 - 11:52am
starter
My starter was doing fine. I have had it for over a month now, but all of a just the other day it took on a very bad smell. Smells rotten, I can still smell some alochol in it, but just rotten. I don't know if I should ride it out, or just start over. Also, the other day when I went to feed it, there was a black tint in the hooch in some spots. it is dead?? poor thing...it was just a baby.
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Underfeeding is one of the major ones.
The blackness could be a mold growing in your starter. I wouldn't throw it all away, though. Just keep a Tablespoon or two of the healthiest or cleanest bit from the bottom of your starter jar and put it into a clean, or sterilized jar. Throw the rest away.
Feeding your reserved bit generously will have you back in business in a day or two. Starters rarely die, but they do get sick and hungry. Mine have been very sick, but always recovered with a little TLC.
Best,
A few months ago, I thought I had killed my starter of 5 years- mainly because my breadbaking had dropped off some after the last of the kids had moved out. Try as I might, I couldn't revive it through simple refreshment. Just about as I was going to give up I read about the starter using pineapple juice on TFL by sourdolady (sp?) I had already built a new pineapple starter and it smelled so wonderful, I thought it might revive my old friend and, indeed, it did. I did a refreshment using the pineapple juice, and WHAM! My old starter was like Popeye after a new can of spinach! You can read her blog on this site- she has loads of good advice.
While sourdough lady has always offered great advice here, Debra Wink wrote the treatise on pineapple juice.
Enjoy!