Hi All - I'm new to sourdough and this site. I have a starter which has been in the fridge for about 4 months. I took it out today, and there was a bit of hooch on top, but also a gelatinous disk. I threw this out! Did I make an error? Have I thrown out the mother?? I've started feeding the starter again, as I want to start making bread again. Any advice and suggestions will be great. Thanks.
...how it reacts over the next few days. Don't panic. Don't suddenly make a lot of other changes. Just watch and wait. Worst possible is having to start again, and having to start again isn't that bad. But don't just decide to start again - first, patiently observe.
Hi, I've just begun re-activating my starter after a long sleep too. Mine did not have hooch or disk on top when it came out of fridge, but a day after I fed it for the first time it was not encouraging at all - formed an iffy looking thick skin, was gluey, etc. So I fed it at a 1:1:1 ratio about once a day. It wasn't rising per se, but there was activity. After about 3 days, I fed it 1:2:2 (starter: water: flour). My, did it react to that - in about 18 hours it had risen by about 75%. So I thought, mission accomplished and fed it at 1:1:1 again. I see that activity is not as good after that. So going to continue 1:2:2 feedings for a few days now. In short, don't panic, keep feeding and take signs of any activity at all as a step in the right direction. I don't feel qualified enough to assert that heavier feedings is the right thing to do, but that is what I plan to do for my starter until it is back to it's usual behavior.