The baker who showed me her sourdough starter from 1987

I met this older lady at a farmer's market in Nashville last fall, she had a little folding table with jars of her starter labeled "Bertha" and a sign saying it was fed every morning for 37 years. She let me dip my finger in and taste it, told me her grandmother brought the original batch over from Germany in a mason jar wrapped in a wool sock. Has anyone else run into a baker with a starter that old, and did they trust you enough to let you try it?

2 comments

2 Comments

mila_jones394d ago

Met this lady at a flea market outside Memphis who had "Gertrude" going since 1998. She let me try a little smear on a cracker, told me it had been in her family for three generations. I offered to trade her a sample of my own starter and she just smiled and shook my head no, but it was still a cool experience.

uma_patel194d agoMost Upvoted

omg @mila_jones39 that's so cool but also lol i gotta say something real quick - its a starter not a smear. Smear is for cheese or like a spread, the sourdough thing is called a starter or a mother. Ive been baking for like 5 years now and people mix that up all the time haha. But seriously 1998?! That Gertrude is older than me im literally born in 98. Those old starters are wild cause theyve been through so many different kitchens and climates. Did she tell you what kind of flour she feeds it? Some of those old school bakers use rye or whole wheat and it makes the flavor super complex. Lowkey jealous you got to taste it though.