I am new to making a sourdough starter. My recipe said to put it by an open window with cheese cloth over the container. Since my air conditioning is on, I put it outside on day 1 and 2. It looks like the pictures but smells pretty strange. Is it bad to put it on the patio on summer days in the upper 80s? Should I start over and leave it in the house? Thanks for your advice. Marilyn, depends what you mean by "pretty strange." If it smells sour/strong/vinegar-y - that's how it's supposed to smell. If it smells "rotten" and unpleasant, or has a pinkish tinge – then you'd probably want to start over. You also might want to check out our blog post on starting your own sourdough starter, for the best, most complete directions for this process. Good luck - PJH

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