Help! Sourdough Starter Emergency!

[philomena]

I'm trying to make sourdough starter, and I don't know if I've ruined it or not.

 

I started it a week ago Sunday. Everything was going fine until I forgot to feed it Friday night. When I went to feed it Saturday night...the jar it was in had cracked! I don't know why. It's the kind with the flip-up lid, but the lid has always been kept in the open position--I flipped the metal locking tab up, which kept the lid open at least one inch. Then I would cover the whole thing with a fine mesh bag to let in the yeasties but keep out the fruit flies. The only time the jar was closed was one time when I walked away to get the flour to feed it, and I closed it for maybe 30 seconds at that time.

 

Some liquid had seeped out of it, but it didn't seem actually broken, so I transferred it to a jar without any lid and fed it that Saturday night. I was hoping the starter would still be fine, even though I skipped a day feeding it....and I don't know why my jar cracked.

 

THEN, to make matters worse, I forgot about it! Today is Tuesday, and it hasn't been fed since Saturday!!! ARrrrgh!

 

Please don't tell me it's too late! I can't bear the idea of starting over! I'm very impatient, and I was worried this very thing would happen, and I'd waste tons of flour trying over and over to make it the whole seven days til the starter was done.

 

So my questions:

 

1. Did I ruin the starter the first time I forgot to feed it for a day?

 

2. Is my starter safe even though the jar cracked? Is there any chance of glass slivers being in it? (Didn't look like there would be, but I'm paranoid.)

 

3. Has skipping two nights of feeding done my sourdough starter in? (There is liquid on the top, no real frothy bubbles like I hear there's supposed to be, but when I moved the jars, some bubbles did pop up through the liquid.)

 

I'm looking for help ASAP so I can either go ahead and feed the starter and hope for the best, or toss it before I waste any more flour on it.

 

Thanks!

[westbrook]

sit a spell.. put your feet up and relax.

 

missing feeding... feed! it will reactivate it and all is fine.

 

now as to the glass... this is a tough one.

 

ok... me? I would get a piece of muslin... thin my starter out, put starter in bag and let it drip into another clean sterile container. Then thicken by feeding more flour and sugar then water.

 

all better?

 

 

[philomena]

Okay, thanks! I was ready to despair! Like I said, I'm not patient, and I just don't know if I could keep going through this over and over if I was going to keep messing it up. I'll go feed my poor starving starter...and leave it where I'll see it next time!!

[philomena]

Do you think I need the sugar? I wanted to do this au naturale, like in Nourishing Traditions.

[Cat]

I like to follow the recipe until I'm used to a food... meaning I'd probably leave the sugar in for now. It'll help feed the "starving" starter, too.

 

If a starter turns greenish or orange or another odd color, then it's probably bad and should be thrown out. Otherwise, just let it be and treat it well.

 

 

And it's SUPPOSED to smell "spoiled"...

 

 

 

When you're used to sourdough, then you can find a better recipe for *you*.

 

 

 

 

[westbrook]

ok honey.

 

sheesh....honey is bee sugar.

[sassenach]

ok, I know its off topic a bit..... bee sugar, I really like that term.... you do a double take when you first hear it.... good code word too, would confuse anyone else!!!!

[Necie]

Originally Posted By: westbrook

ok honey.

sheesh....honey is bee sugar.

Ya slippin' there, Westie? Bee sugar? ha

More like bee spit... well, kinda....

I'm closer, though.


(See, we DO listen.)

[westbrook]

ok, technically bee puke!

[ArmyOfFive4God]

So glad someone said that. I was going to say bee puke too.