I am going to start a new sourdough starter like I had a while ago. It
was a liquid starter, not a thin doughy mixture that was very wet, but
a true liquid.

I kept it 10-15 years (I forget how long it lasted), revived it a few
times, then it truly died due to neglect. Efforts to revive it using
yeast nutrient and energizer as well as the usual feeding routine
didn't work.

This was a liquid that you fed with a certain amount of sugar and
instant potato flakes, stirred well, then left out of the refrigerator
for a couple of days. If you weren't going to use it within a few
days, you refrigerated it for a couple of weeks or more, then went
through the feeding routine. It woould actually do well for 3-4 months
without feeding, but then it wouldn't be ready to use until it went
through another feeding ritual.

What I would like to know is if anyone here has worked with a similar
type of sourdough yeast starter?

If so, could you share your thoughts on how you got yours started?

The last starter I had, I received it from someone. I did not started
from scratch. I amazed everyone of how long I kept the sourdough
starter going, but I realize that it can be kept going indefinitely
with proper care.

I found that this liquid starter never got moldy, probably because of
a thin layer of alcohol on top of the liquid.

I have a couple of packets of the San Francisco sourdough starter that
I can use to make another starter, but I particularly liked a Russian
sourdough starter that I got from someone who participated in this
newsgroup several years ago, named Ivan I believe. I used that starter
once to add some complexity to the starter and it worked well with it.

I look forward to hearing from anyone who has used a truly liquid
starter successfully.

Donald
illegitimi non carborundum