SOUR ischia

[zaafreak]

A few days ago, I removed my ischia starter from the fridge, let it warm to room temp (~62) and fed it.  After 2 feedings over 24 hours , there was almost no activity.  When I tasted it, it was so sour my tongue tingled.  I surmise the lack of activity was due to extreme acid buildup.  I washed and fed the starter and now, 12 hours after feeding it, some bubbles are starting to form.

How many more feeding cycles and at what interval do the starter gurus recommend to get my starter roaring again?

[bfguilford]

The sourness is probably just an accumulation of "starter poop" that any starter will give off when it digests its food.

A couple of questions:
1. How long had it been in the refrigerator before you started this cycle?
2. Did you feed it, and let it sit for 60-90 minutes before returning it to the refrigerator the last time you put it in?

In my experience, one of the issues is probably that 62 degrees isn't really warm enough. You probably want to be at at least low 70s (many say high 70s to low 80s) when you feed it.

That said, it shouldn't be a problem. Now that you've washed it, here's what I would suggest. Start out with around 3/4 cup of washed starter in the container. For the next day, feed it 1 tbs of flour and an equal amount of water by weight (probably around 3/4-7/8 of a tbs every 8 hours. Then start to discard/feed with 1/4 cup of flour and water (adjusting your water to work the hydration level of the starter back down to where you want it) every 12 hours for 1-2 days. After that, you should be able to go back to a regular feeding schedule.

Just remember to feed it and let it sit at low 70s for 60-90 minutes before you refrigerate it.

Barry

[JD]

In my experience, one of the issues is probably that 62 degrees isn't really warm enough. You probably want to be at at least low 70s (many say high 70s to low 80s) when you feed it.
Barry

Bingo.

I put my starter on top of my hot water heater when I'm feeding.... Minimum 72*. You say "but it's only 10* difference?!" and I say "Yes"

[TXCraig1]

I'd let it go for another 8-12 hours or until it's good an bubbly then discard half and feed. I would think at that point it will double in 4-6 hours or so unless your room temp is pretty low like your 62 - yours might take a little longer.

You don't need to wash Ischia even if it tastes very acidic. Just discard half and feed. If it's very dormant, you might need to do this a couple times. Washing it is not going to hurt it, but it will dramatically increase the amount of time it takes it to get active as you are seeing.

[dellavecchia]

Others have already given great information, but when I refresh a starter I use a tablespoon of starter as the seed. This ensures that acidity will be at a minimum. It takes longer to revive though.

I started doing this when I moved my starters from room temp to the fridge for storage.

John

[zaafreak]

Thanks for the info!  I'll put the starter on a seedling germination mat to warm it up a bit. Bguilford, I put the starter in the fridge an hour after 1 fed it 11 days ago.

I'll report back as the starter, hopefully, gets its act together.

[bfguilford]

Based on the 11 days in the refrigerator, Craig advice is sound. You could just discard (I've done around 2/3 with my Ischia) and feed again. Ischia is pretty darn forgiving.

Barry

[ccgus]

One thing to think about (which I had to learn the hard way) is that chlorine in your water can make your starter turn pretty bad.  If you're having a hard time getting it to revive in a reasonable time or it just smells awful no matter what- you might try some spring water instead of tap (if that's what you are using- I'm obviously just making a guess here).

[zaafreak]

Thanks for the help!  I raised the temperature to the mid 70s and fed it a few more times and it came roaring back to life.