I tend to keep my starters in the same jars for around 4 - 6 weeks or so (refreshingly weekly, and living in the fridge). I transplant them to nice clean, sterilised jars when things start to look a bit unhealthy - but I find that they take a little while to get over the shock of moving home and aren't as lively the first week or two. Has anyone else found this? Should I be using a clean jar every time I refresh?
My starter lives in its bowl for a month or so, then gets a clean, right-out-of-the-dishwasher bowl. The bowl gets funky-looking, but there are good bugs hanging out in there, kinda like a bacteria party. I have never once seen anything that looked moldy or suspicious. When I won't be baking for a while, I make a hard little starter ball, sprinkle some loose flour on top of it in a jar, and stow it in the back of the fridge.
Susan
P.S. Just been thinking of how bad a starter must have been after being kept warm in the dead of winter in the armpit of a dirty, unbathed, untanned-animal-skin-wearing trapper. Or something like that.... Sheesh!
Yea but I'll bet the bread was some kinda [color=#FF0000]SOUR[/color]
Eric
"The dog wags his tail, not for you but for your bread"
I make a stiff starter rather than batter so it must be kneaded. I keep it in a glass pint jar and it is clean from the dishwasher every single time. It not only has not harmed it - the thing is going strong. No sissy bottled water for me either! (heehee)