Found out my starter is older than I thought

I was going through some old texts with my grandma and found out she gave me her sourdough starter back in 2019. I always thought I started it myself around 2021. Turns out that jar she handed me had been alive since the early 80s according to her notes. That means my current loafs are technically 40+ years in the making. It kind of blew my mind that I've been baking with something that old this whole time without knowing. Has anyone else ever found out their starter was secretly way older than they assumed?

2 comments

2 Comments

white.keith10d ago

Damn, that's wild. I've had that exact thing happen to me actually. I got a starter from a buddy years ago and just assumed he'd started it a few months before. Then we're having beers one night and he mentions it came from his grandmother's kitchen back in the 70s. My advice is to keep a little backup in the freezer just in case something goes wrong. And if you ever travel with it, put it in a ziplock bag inside a second container because it can sweat through plastic. But honestly, that age gives it a really nice tang and it's super resilient. You probably won't kill it unless you really try.

abbyhall9d ago

Honestly, I don't get why people act like a 70 year old starter is some sacred heirloom. @white.keith I've left my starter in the fridge for like three months without feeding it and it bounced back fine after a couple days. It's just flour and water, man. Not some fragile pet that needs a freezer backup and a travel protocol.