The two containers that were begun with the 35 year old packet of
dried starter from the Sourdough Jack cookbook are way ahead of the
control (flour and water).

The control, though showing some definite activity, is way, way behind
the SJ starter containers. Today the control should have been as foamy
as the SJ containers were yesterday morning. It isn't. The SJs have a
very good odor with each container smelling the same, the Control
still smells pasty.

Same type of containers. Same water. Same Hecker's Unbleached flour.
Stirring implements kept separate, refreshments done one by one with
tidy up in between to keep cross contamination to a minimum.

Grated, the SJ has not proved itself in use, yet, and I like my
starters to mature before I use them. That is for a later report.

I am jazzed, but still a tad skeptical.

Boron

Boron Elgar wrote:
> The two containers that were begun with the 35 year old packet of
> dried starter from the Sourdough Jack cookbook are way ahead of the
> control (flour and water)....> I am jazzed, but still a tad skeptical.
>
> Boron

Hi Boron,

Thank you for posting your accounts. I found it very interesting and
passed it on to some friends.

Thanks

TG

So, does this mean that we really don't have to store our dried starter
in the fridge?

35 yrs is a long time. Most dried things last if kept sealed up. Mine
are in small jars and a tiny sealable plastic container.

I still have my sourdough jack book that had come with a starter from
25 or more years ago. Back then I was not successful producing a very
active starter and gave up too soon. I probably didn't feed it
sufficiently or at the right intervals. I eventually gave up and
tossed it because I had just produced a hard, just about solid loaf
that was barely able to be sliced. Sourdough isn't intuitive if you
expect it to be like working with commercial yeast.

Now both my own rye starter and my SDI SF starter are doing well.