deadly or not?

i left one of my new starters in the cupboard and forgot about it, i'm estimating it was 4-6weeks ago.
was going to put it in a bin BUT when i lifted lid the smell was magical, nice smooth and  yeasty-fruity, my nose loved it.
very different to what happens to starter left too long in a fridge where it goes green and stinks like paint.

there was separation with water on top and bottom part was looking like sort of yoghurt.
i scooped out spoonfull and refreshed it but i would like 2nd opinion about it before i bake it and eat it in few days

...to me. Now...if you'll just sign on this indemnity form....

TP

you are not trying to get rid of me silently, are you?

I think that it just went alcoholic so how does it look after you refreshed it?

Did it double or triple?

If it has gone alcoholic it will be very sour, so you will want to carefully refresh just a tiny bit of it.  Something about the yeast/bacteria ratio one of them tends to get killed off.

This link has some good advice... Even though the part where he says that the yeast comes from the air is still under debate...not sure myself.  Lets just stick to the topic of a dead or deadly starter, for now at least. 

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/food/sourdough/starters/

If you don't have much time to read, go to the section marked VII.  OLD STARTER... It should help.

It may be better to start over if you have other starters you can still bake with.. as this might take some time and flour.  If it was me I would go for it, I am always up for a good science experiment, Mu ha ha!

Terri

Hi Terri

i printed that page while ago but couldn't pin point category for "left in a cupboard for over a month" starter

i have couple starters that i use/refresh couple of times a week so i could throw it out but i think i will follow my nose with this one because it smells too good to be hurtful

Let the experiment begin...

I got frustrated with one of my early starters and ignored it for a week.  It is now one of my best starters... It needed a name so I called it Hoochy Mama!

Terri

I'm in the camp that if the starter smells good then use it.  I remember reading somewhere that was one sign of a good fermentation vs a bad fermentation.

well it is looking good and that's only after little more then 24hours

already more then doubled in size and still got this great fruty smell

if tomorrow looks just as healthy i might bake one loaf out of it this weekend instead of my regular starter

another 24h and this starter is very bussy and seem fully active while still got this nice smell.

going to bake something with it tomorrow or saturday

or better still, show off your bread. Just so, we know you're not done in by a lovely-smelling starter.

TP

Or did it fail to raise bread...?   Should someone go out there and check on him?   Maybe it turned into something like the "BLOB" - you know, the Cult Classic Horror movie?!!

Terri

i'm still alive

it works well, very quick starter but that might be related to my new wholemeal rye in the mix.

i'm little worry about my fruity smell going away now, its still there a little but not as much as it was before.

done few bakes so far and breads turned out good.
when i have bit more time i plan to bake two loafs to compare this one vs my regular starter.