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Fuzzy mould on side of jar after using pineapple juice with starter

jangozo's picture
jangozo

Fuzzy mould on side of jar after using pineapple juice with starter

Hi,

It is now day 3 of my pineapple juice and rye sourdough starter adventure and just as I was about to feed it, I saw that mould with little hairs has formed on all 4 sides of the jar (see pic of one side). I think it has developed because I didn't clean the sides of the jar and the residue has given it a pleasant environment to form. The smell is yeasty with a little hint of pineapple.

I don't have an issue with throwing it away and starting fresh. Next time I'll remember to clean the sides not to allow for any nasties to grow. The question is whether it's still a fine sourdough starter which will give me the fantastic bread everyone is talking about.

If it's better to stick with what I have now, what is the best way to clean it off? Will a kitchen towel be enough or should I transfer it to a temporary jar and wash this one thoroughly?

 

Thanks!

 

 

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

And from the description it smells healthy too. Perhaps not cleaning down the sides with each feeding like described has contributed to this (remember after taking some out the pineapple juice goes in first then is used to clean down the sides from residue). If the mould was reddish/pinkish i'd say throw it away and start again.

so you have 150g at the moment. Am I right?

Can you carefully take off 50g and put that into a clean dish that has been scolded out. Then discard the rest and give the jar a really thorough clean. Scold it out and dry it well. Then transfer the 50g back into the jar and feed as normal.

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

This isn't whole rye! What flour are you using?

This won't make a difference to mould but thought you were doing whole rye.

jangozo's picture
jangozo

I couldn't fine whole rye so I'm using normal rye.

I have about 150g yes. I can take out 50 g into a new container and feed it

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

That's fine. Take from the middle i.e. not touching the mould. Remember cleanliness is the key. So take off 50g, discard the rest, clean the jar really well and dry it. Then place the 50g back into the jar and feed it 50g pineapple juice + 50g flour. Voila - back to your 150g starter.

If it's white rye then why not use a little wholemeal normal flour to get benefits from the wholegrain which is good for a starter? Who not 30g Rye + 20g wholemeal bread flour?

 

jangozo's picture
jangozo

I ran into what you'd call a practical problem. Because the jar is deep with somewhat shallow opening, I can't get a ladle to scoop some out, I can't scoop any out with a spoon because it'd mean I have to tip the jar to one side (where the mould is). I resulted to cleaning the side of the jar but in the process part of the dry (mouldy) sides dropped inside.

Long story short, I'm considering whether to start fresh and get it right from the beginning. After all, it's the base of all my future breads.

 

PS. Just for laughs I'll share the other idea I got during my attempt to transfer the starter. I decided to use a straw to transfer the it by sucking part of the liquid through it and blowing it out into the new container. Bright idea right? However, the straw was black and I couldn't measure when it was full enough. Now I know what a fermented pineapple juice and rye cocktail tastes like.

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

not too big but enough room for the starter to expand. A neck wide enough to access the starter would help :)

If the mould is a problem then it won't become a starter. So being worried that it's the future of all your breads is not a problem. If it becomes a viable starter then all is good. So purely in your hands. If you wish to start again then no problem. Don't over think this process. It's simply flour + water (or pineapple juice) + time. Feed equal parts by weight when you see activity. When there is activity in need to feed it anymore then every 12 hours (I managed on once a day when the starter became more predictable). 

So what does fermented flour and pineapple juice taste like? LOL. 

jangozo's picture
jangozo

I kept the old one in a separate jar and started making a new one after thoroughly cleaning and scolding the original jar.

Now I'm glad I kept it because it might become a decent starter. It doubled just 4 hours after feeding!

Pic: http://i.imgur.com/0wzxtiy.jpg

 

jangozo's picture
jangozo

It tasted how a pineapple that has gone off would taste. Bitter and sour (which is probably the effect we're going for here lol).

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

It's fermenting so sounds as if its doing well taste wise haha.

Phew crisis over! 

Carry on as normal. 

jangozo's picture
jangozo

Thanks for the help during crisis time!

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

Just occurred to me... I know you're due to switch to water soon but I think a couple more pineapple feeds won't go amiss. The acidity will help incase of that tiny bit of mould. Just as assurance. Then switch to water. Keep me informed of how you're doing. 

Gnite. 

jangozo's picture
jangozo

That's a good idea! I'll do that. I'll continue with my other starter just in case this one goes bad in the final stage.

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

Coming along nicely. Doing well for a very young starter. A starter will become more acidic as it matures killing off any nasties. Keep going. Don't worry if it slows at all especially when you switch to water. Perfectly normal. Remember if it does this just skip a feed or two till it wakes up. 

 

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

"…When there is activity no need to feed it anymore then every 12 hours"