Hi Sylvie-Marguerite, if your recipe calls for "ripe" or "fed" starter, this means starter that you have fed at room temperature and allowed to rise to its highest point. It is considered ripe when it's at that high point, or just beginning to fall, and usually it will hover at that level for an hour or so (this can vary, depending on the starter). Once the starter has fallen significantly it's no longer considered ripe, and you'd be better off feeding it again and letting it ripen again before adding it to your recipe. We're not big fans of the float test when it comes to guaging starter ripeness, so I would look for your starter to be doubled and bubbly throughout as good signs that it's ready for baking bread. 

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