I finally killed my starter after 2 years of neglect

Forgot to feed my sourdough starter for almost 3 weeks straight. Life got busy, you know? Found it in the back of the fridge with a dark grey liquid layer on top. Smelled like nail polish remover and old gym socks mixed together. Tried to salvage it with a few feedings but it never bubbled back. Had to dump the whole jar out last Tuesday night. Felt like I lost a pet honestly. Now I'm starting from scratch with some King Arthur whole wheat. Anyone else had to bury a starter after a long break?

3 comments

3 Comments

adam_robinson1mo agoTop Commenter

Smelled like nail polish remover and old gym socks" lol that is brutally accurate. I think the kicker nobody talks about is that the hooch is actually the most useful part of a dead starter. You can use that liquid stuff to kickstart a new one way faster than starting dry. I saved the grey liquid from my last death by freezing it in an ice cube tray so next time I start over I can just thaw a cube and mix it with fresh flour and water. Not a guarantee obviously but it gave my new batch a head start on the sourness in like 2 feedings instead of 2 weeks.

margaret_chen1mo ago

Huh, freezing the hooch is actually kind of genius. I just let mine sit in the fridge for weeks and then forget what it was for.

wesleyc751mo ago

The grey hooch is definitely the telltale sign it's gone. I had the same thing happen after a two month hiatus, but I found that setting a phone reminder every Saturday morning helps me keep the schedule. If you can't feed it weekly, store it in a smaller jar with less starter and more flour, like a 1:5:5 ratio, so it can survive longer between feedings. Also, never use metal bowls or utensils for mixing, it can react with the acidity and slow things down. I keep a backup in the freezer just in case life gets crazy again, which it always does.