Hello. I have a 5 week vacation ahead and was wondering if keeping my starter in the fridge should be enough or if I should get someone to take it out of the fridge every week or so to feed it and back in the fridge. Thanks many for your help, your guiding posts and happy holidays!
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Hello fedesol,
I have left mine for at least a month and it was fine needing no more than a couple of feeds to be back at full tilt.
If you are at all concerned you could take a quantity and put it into a container and freeze it. Or you could spread some out thinly onto, say baking paper and leave it to dry and then store the dried flakes in an airtight container. Some water and a feed and hey presto.
Good luck with your projects and have a nice holiday and don't fret about your starter.
Farinam
Hey thanks a lot for the tips :)
I agree with the previous comments. I travel to Asia each year and my starters have always survived. The longest duration was nearly six months. I just make sure I have a fairly large batch of starter prepared fresh and active in a tall jar and then put it in the fridge. I also prepare some dried starter as a back-up - just in case, but I have never had to fall back on it.
I am not so certain about freezing, however. I have read that freezing will kill it off. I did an experiment a few years back and froze some starter for a month. When I thawed it out and refreshed it a couple of times, it was mighty sour but did not have much in the way of leaving power. It appeared to me that the bacteria did ok, but the yeast did not. Hopefully someone more knowledgable will weigh in on freezing starters.