Hi all,

I have posted this on several other lists without a reply. I hope that someone
on this list can help me.

I have been making sourdough bread using Sally Fallon's (Nourishing Traditions)
all rye starter recipe and the accompanying sourdough bread recipe. It is really
great served sliced real thin and spread with homemade cream cheese and (store
bought) lox. Yum. The bread is so dense, though, that I finally found a use for
my deli-slicer. It hurts my hands (and my husband's) to try to cut it with a
knife.

Well, after making my last loaf, I have been adding more rye and water to the
leftover starter to keep it going, 1 cup of each a day. I have been busy and
missed the last 2 days. When I went to transfer the starter to a new bowl
to add more flour and water, the surface looked like there were large spreading
colonies all over it; they were not fuzzy, so probably not mold. I went to scoop
the colonies off with a clean spoon, they were all attached to a thick
pancake-like membrane that came off the starter intact. The starter does not
smell bad. Kombucha came to mind, unfortunately AFTER tossing the membrane in
the compost. Sure enough, I looked for kombucha online, and this membrane looked
like the pictures and descriptions of a kombucha colony.

My questions are:

Would you continue to use this batch of starter? This batch of starter
represents a significant commitment of my time and money in the cost of the
organic rye flour. I hate to throw it out if it is not necessary.

Are there any nasty bacteria or molds that can grow in sourdough starter that
are hazardous to one's health; e.g. aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus spp.?

Do others with experience making sourdough try to propagate their starter or
make it once, use it, and start over?

Could I have saved this colony and used it to make kombucha tea?

I thank you in advance for your help.

Donna, Southern California