A guy at a flea market in Allentown handed me his 60-year-old sourdough starter in a mason jar and I think the whole "fresh starter every time" thing is overblown

Nancy Perry · 2026-10-17T12:10:04.044826+00:00

So last Saturday I'm at the Trexlertown flea market digging through a box of old loaf pans when this older fella next to me asks if I bake. We get to talking and he pulls a quart mason jar out of his cooler, lid taped shut, and says it's his starter that his mom started back in 1964 and he's fed it every week since. I've always rolled my eyes at the internet crowd saying you gotta make a brand new starter for every style of bread, like the old one gets tired. He let me take a scoop home in a deli container and I baked with it Sunday morning, and that loaf had more spring and tang than anything my 8-month-old starter ever gave me. My old starter came from a kit I bought online for $22 and honestly I've been babying it for nothing. Now I'm wondering if half the starter advice floating around is just people selling kits. Has anyone here baked side by side with an old starter and a fresh one and actually seen a difference, or am I fooling myself?

🐿️Pinecone Attack

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A guy at a flea market in Allentown handed me his 60-year-old sourdough starter in a mason jar and I think the whole "fresh starter every time" thing is overblown | Bakers - Pinecone Attack