I recently discovered a site called the Carl Griffith’s 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter. They are friends of a man who had a sourdough starter that was started on and kept alive through the Oregon Trail. His friends have and continue to distribute the starter as long as you mail them a stamped envelope.
When I saw this on r/sourdough, immediately mailed an envelope to their po box. It took about 2 months but I finally received and revived the starter. It is really active and the rise time is almost 3-4 hours shorter than my own starter. I’m not sure what makes a difference in how “active” a starter is and what that means for the bacteria in my jars, but I was excited to try this in my new dutch oven.
It was my first time truly getting ears on my loaf and getting a high oven spring. Looking forward to my next loaf!
P.S. Cat Tax included in this picture for your benefit.
