OK I admit it I was mean to my "Mother" I left in the Fridge and it got
too cold (Little bit of ice on the Hooch).
As soon as I found out I brought her out fed her with some warm water
and fresh flour and she seems to have recovered.

OK I have to mean to her again I will be away for a couple of weeks but
need to have her active two days after I get back.

Should I leave her at room temperature and realise she will get very
hungry ... maybe force feed her before I go
Or

Should I keep her in the fridge (slightly warmer this time) and give her
a good feeding before & after.


THanks

John LaBella wrote:
> OK I have to mean to her again I will be away for a couple of weeks but
> need to have her active two days after I get back.
>
> Should I leave her at room temperature and realise she will get very
> hungry ... maybe force feed her before I go
> Or
>
> Should I keep her in the fridge (slightly warmer this time) and give her
> a good feeding before & after.
>
A starter at room temperature should be fed no less than twice a day,
and should be fed enough with each feeding to double its size. I do not
think leaving it at room temperature with a force feeding is a good idea.

Refrigerating it for two weeks is OK. I find it best to feed the
starter a few times to make sure it is healthy, and then refrigerating
it immediately after a feeding.

Mike

--
Mike Avery mavery at mail dot otherwhen dot com
part time baker ICQ 16241692
networking guru AIM, yahoo and skype mavery81230
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A Randomly Selected Thought For The Day:
All good work is done in defiance of management. - Bob Woodward

On 29 Aug, 03:39, John LaBella > wrote:
> OK I admit it I was mean to my "Mother" I left in the Fridge and it got
> too cold (Little bit of ice on the Hooch).
> As soon as I found out I brought her out fed her with some warm water
> and fresh flour and she seems to have recovered.
>
> OK I have to mean to her again I will be away for a couple of weeks but
> need to have her active two days after I get back.
>
> Should I leave her at room temperature and realise she will get very
> hungry ... maybe force feed her before I go
> Or
>
> Should I keep her in the fridge (slightly warmer this time) and give her
> a good feeding before & after.
>
> THanks

Hi John,

I realise that you're joking of course but using your mother as
analogy isn't so useful. To use a different analogy for your mother
you're starter (yeast and bacteria) will be chugging along on tick
over very well for more than a few weeks in the fridge it's better
than having them running at full revs out on the counter. There's just
no point doing that without giving it some fuel and using it just as
there would be no point having your car running at full revs while you
were waiting for a child to cross the road at a crossing.

I don't think the bit of ice will be a problem at all, though I never
freeze my starter some do, and as cold as you can is best without
freezing it though a little ice is no problem. If you were going away
for six months I'd suggest switching off the engine by drying some as
back up.
Jim

TG wrote:
> I realise that you're joking of course but using your mother as
> analogy isn't so useful.
Actually, the French refer to what some Americans call the storage
starter as the mother, so his analogy has a lot of history behind it.

Mike

On Aug 28, 9:39 pm, John LaBella > wrote:

> OK I have to mean to her again I will be away for a couple of weeks but
> need to have her active two days after I get back.

do this... take 2 tablespoons of your starter and add enough fresh
flour to make a reasonably dry doughball. Coat or dust that doughball
with flour so that the exterior dries quickly and prevents surface
contamination. Store it (container with tight lid) in the
refrigerator.

When you return, break it up into small pieces, slake with BARELY
enough water to cover the pieces. When they soften, double it with
flour and water so you have a thick slurry. When that ferments
actively, double again. Let the second refresh ferment and you will be
ready to go.

This is the quickest way to get from storage starter to active
starter. If you store a liquid batch, it takes much longer to come to
room temperature. The dough ball + tap water comes to room temperature
almost immediately. By keeping the refresh volumes small, you get to
an active starter quickly. Doing this will yield about 1/2 cup of
active starter. That's more than enough for an 1800-2000 gram (about 4
lbs) dough (two loaves).

On 29 Aug 2007, at 15:25, Mike Avery wrote:

> TG wrote:
>> I realise that you're joking of course but using your mother as
>> analogy isn't so useful.
> Actually, the French refer to what some Americans call the storage
> starter as the mother, so his analogy has a lot of history behind it.
>
> Mike


lol. There's the analogy, anthropomorphising and the simple name
Mike, they're three different things. What I was referring to was his
exaggerated caring for the starter probably stemming from the name if
not with a little joking thrown in as I understood. Really Mike
you've been baking too long if you think I don't know the merest
basics ie, a starter is sometimes called a mother. It is with vinegar
too.
Jim