Susan, it's perfectly fine to stir in the hooch if you prefer to do so. It's mostly made up of the alcohol that is a byproduct of yeast fermentation, so is essentially a sourdough waste product, but it won't hurt anything to stir it in and it may contribute some flavor elements and acidity. The only reason I poured it off in this example is that it looked pretty nasty and I figured if there was any contamination present in my very neglected starter then it would likely be in this top layer. Barb

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