Hi Denee, it sounds like your starter must have gotten contaminated in some way. This happened to me once when I was teaching a sourdough class and had a classroom full of students all creating stiff starters. Imagine my embarrassment when my starter was the only one to develop a pink streak! A starter that is still in the creation stage hasn't developed the same type of defenses that a mature starter possesses, so it's a little more vulnerable to invasion. You did the right thing to discard your starter. I clean my container and implements with very hot water prior to beginning a new starter, but there's no need to go crazy and sterilize everything each day. It's unlikely you'll experience the same problem the next time you attempt to create a starter, so give it a go and let us know how it turns out! Barb

• Reply