Is this mould?

Four questions. You do not need to photograph anything and you do not need an account — you are probably holding the jar.

Throw it away. This once, we are not going to talk it through.

Mould goes deeper than what you can see: the threads run through the whole mixture, including the parts that still look fine. Scooping it off does not help and this is not worth a risk. A new starter costs you two weeks, and those two weeks are worth it.

What you do now

  1. 1 Throw out everything, not just the top layer.
  2. 2 Wash the jar with hot water and soap, or take a different one.
  3. 3 Start again — we walk the first fourteen days with you.