Stopped at a tiny bakery in rural Vermont and noticed their sourdough starter was from 1987

I walked into this hole in the wall place near Burlington and the owner told me she's been feeding that same starter for 37 years. She said it gives the bread a tang you just can't fake with store bought yeast. Has anyone else run into an old starter like that or kept one going for decades?

3 comments

3 Comments

evahenderson1mo ago

My buddy in Portland has a starter his great aunt started in 1978, and when he bakes with it the whole block smells like a real bakery. He forgot to feed it last summer and it got that gross dark liquid on top, but he stirred it back in and it was fine. People pay him 10 bucks a loaf and wait weeks for it.

thomas_sanchez1mo ago

Can't believe he stirred that liquid back in instead of just starting over.

juliarodriguez1mo ago

oh man, that's wild! i totally get it though. my neighbor has a starter she got from her grandmother that dates back to the 60s, and the bread she makes with it is insane - it's super tangy and has this almost nutty flavor that i've never tasted from any store bought loaf. i tried keeping my own going during lockdown and it got to about 18 months before i accidentally killed it by forgetting to feed it for two weeks lol. i swear you could taste the difference even just comparing month 1 to month 18, so i can only imagine what 37 years does to it. that baker is probably making some of the best sourdough in the whole state with a starter that old.