Sir Sour Alot is now a week old. This image is of how it looks now, after it’s been stirred. 
At this point, the starter gets more frothy than bubbly, and has a finer texture.
The starter can rest in maintenance mode now. Aside from feeding after use, it can just be stirred daily and fed lightly every two or three days. If it’s not going to be used for more than a week, it can be put into the refrigerator. It will go dormant and doesn’t need to be fed often, though the occasional stirring is good. When it’s going to be used, it should either be taken out of the fridge and allowed to come to room temperature, or just the portion needed can be removed, while the remainder is fed with the same amount of flour and warm water as was taken out, then left in the fridge. A bit of sugar to feed the yeast wouldn’t hurt, either.
None of these are hard and fast rules, of course. Once a starter is going, theoretically, it can be kept going for generations with minimal care and regular use. It’s good to remember that a sourdough starter is a living thing that needs to be cared for. Like a pet, it needs food, water, shelter, and a bit of TLC.
More fun than a pet rock, plus you can eat it.
My copy of Alaska Sourdough has been shipped, and I’m quite looking forward to it. I plan to start a new one when it comes in, but I don’t really need to have more than one starter going at once. We’ll see how the new one works out, and then decide what to do.
The Re-farmer
