Hi Bruce, I'm a little worried about the orange tint (which could be a sign of unfriendly bacteria) as well as the mold. Both of these are signs that your starter has been neglected to a point where it no longer has the strength to fight off unwelcome invaders. A starter that has been so weakened is going to take quite a lot of time to rejuvenate, so it may be wiser and safer to start over and create a new starter from scratch or purchase a mature starter from us. I doubt that eating the baked bread from your starter will make you sick, but you may know better than I do at this point! With your new starter I would work towards a maintenance routine that involves feeding twice daily when you keep your starter at room temperature, and at least once a week when you store it in the refrigerator. Feeding your starter regularly and often at room temperature will help to build healthy populations of wild yeast and friendly bacteria. I find that a combination of a few days of refrigeration coupled with a few days of twice a day feedings at room temperature prior to baking works well. If you adopt this sort of feeding routine, you'll have a starter that is both resistant to invaders and able to perform at its best in your baking.
Barb
March 29, 2019 at 8:43am
In reply to Hi, So I have had my starter going for about 6 months now. The … by Bruce (not verified)