Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter

[Pamela Scaiff]

I got home from a business trip and discovered the sour dough starter I had been lovingly tending all summer long was left out and nobody put it away.  It was mouldy and crusty. 

 

I asked K, my 16-year-old transition nut to go downstairs and get me a can of pineapple so I could get a new batch of wild yeast growing again.   When she came upstairs, she handed me the only can down there and said: 

 

"Mum, what are you going to do when the price of oil is such that you can't get a can of pineapple to capture wild yeast with?"

 

I told her I would probably have to experiment to find something else, but that if I were vigilant, I could just keep the sour dough starter alive forever. 

 

"Ok, so what if there is an earthquake and the starter dies and there is no oil and no pineapple in Ottawa.   BUT, you have grain and can make bread."

 

The conversation went back and forth.  Then, in frustration, K said:  "Mum, you are completely missing the point.  If you are resilient and your community is resilient, then someone out there has already got wild yeast sour dough starter.  Resiliency is about pulling together as a community and helping each other.  Why don't you just go post on Facebook, Transition Ottawa, your blog, email or drums and ASK if anyone has some sourdough starter they could part with?  That's what the pioneers used to do."

 

I looked at her with great pride.  She was absolutely right.  Sharing skills.  Sharing tools.  Sharing sourdough starter.  The easy part is sharing.  The hard part is asking.

 

Does anyone out there have some wild yeast sourdough starter they could share with me?  

[Transition Ottawa (/jd)]

I found this post on the web for a sourdough stater from scratch using nothing but flour and water. Haven't tested i though :) . If you try it, post back and let us know how/if it worked :)

http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/07/13/raising-a-starter/

[Pamela Scaiff]

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/233 This is the recipe I had great success with. Last night, I made a loaf out of it and have a batch of starter in the fridge. If anyone would like some, just let me know!