Natural Sour Dough Starter

If I had known, I would have started there. There is a lot of practical information there that I have not seen in books or on other websites. :D
 
Just a word of warning....put some cheesecloth or gauze or something over it. I tried this method (very similar) and it was just long enough to hatch out the fruit flies by the hundreds. I used freshly-picked wild grapes.

:sick
 
I have tried the grape recipe, and just the flour and water. the grape recipe worked, but when I went to make bread out of it, The bread didn't rise, so I ditched the starter.

I meant to try it again in the summer, and now summer is almost over and I completely forgot. So, I guess I'll get some more grapes and try again.

thanks for the reiminder!
 
Free...thanks for the tip, I did put a clean cloth over the top.

Miss North....I *think* I have read that the lack of rise means that your yeast was hungry/out of fuel, kind of like trying to work out on an empty stomach, you are not going to perform very well.
 
My SD mixture is starting to come to life!

Sooner than I expected, but it has also been pretty warm in here...80ish.
I am keeping an eye on it, but I wonder if I will need to start feeding it a bit sooner. Any ideas?
 
80 F is about the perfect temp for the yeast to grow. It is about the right temp to feed every 24 hrs. I would only feed more often if the performance started to wane or if it started smelling particularly sour.
 
Missthenorth -- it takes the sourdough some time before it is strong enough to leaven bread. You have to wait for your starter to start doubling in size before you can bake with it, or the bread won't rise. Also some starters take longer to double than the recipes call for.
 
My starter is not doing anything other than taking up room in my fridge.

I think I need some help.

I left it out for several days, it was active and looked great, then it kinda separated and got thin, I put it in the fridge and I am feeding it everyday. I always have a layer of liquid on top and it does smell sour, not bad but not that pleasant yeasty smell I think it should have.

Any tips?
 
I have a chuckwagon cookbook someplace that said "ya gotta keep a bullfrog in yer starter", meaning a potato quarter... never tried it that way tho, just thot it sounded interesting.
My MIL and I used to take turns killing our starters and would then have to beg some from the other, but it saved us from having to start over from scratch.
I keep my starter in a pyrex bowl with a glass lid. That way bugs can't get in and the gases can safely escape. Mine separates too... I just stir it and feed it. I don't worry unless the liquid on top turns orange. If it does, I call my MIL and she sets some of her starter aside for me:gig
 
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