I’m not convinced about this batch of apple peel sourdough starter. Nope, not at all.
I followed the (albeit vague) instructions and it is bubbling quietly, but after 4 days it smells more cheese-y then yeast-y. Hmmmm…
It started out innocuously enough. I found the information I needed based on the tv show I saw, bought the apples and gave it a shot.
At first it smelled mostly like paper maché paste, just flour and water. And it didn’t look like much of anything.
starting the starter
I did as instructed; mixed it up, covered it loosely with clean cheesecloth and walked away.
waiting…
A few days later it started to “take”. I looked online to see if I should be worried and came away more confused than anything. It looks slightly brownish to me. Not pink or any of the other colors that would indicate bacteria rather than wild yeast. And, as I said, it smells a bit like cheese (I swear that cheesecloth was clean!), and not bad exactly, but I’m just not sure.
starter, started??
I think I’ll give it another day or so before I decide whether to go forward or to start over. I know the adage is “when in doubt, throw it out” but that hurts! Still, better safe than sorry…
Any thoughts from you bakers out there? Help!
and then make soup 
It certainly looks lively. My starter is nothing more than flour and water, so I can’t advise. I suppose that you could try making a loaf, and if it’s no good you’ve only wasted a pound or so of flour and your own time. Might be worth a try.
By: Chica Andaluza on October 16, 2016
at 5:04 pm
Thanks for the input. A day or so after I posted this it started to smell nasty so I bagged it. Have you posted about your starter? I’d appreciate any info before trying again… got a link??
By: Rachel on October 29, 2016
at 2:18 pm
My starter as sent to me from Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial but I also used my own starter previously. Just do a search on my blog for sourdough and hopefully you’ll find some useful posts but I’ll see if I can find anything specific to starter. Do pop over to Celia’serve blog….she’s an incredible baker and has so much useful info on her pages.
By: Chica Andaluza on October 29, 2016
at 4:15 pm