The main advantages with Sluggo are that it eventually reduces the number of slugs and you don't have to use it heavily, a thin scattering works just fine. But if you want to use the old sourdought starter or beer, try using a container where it's easier for them to get in than to get out. Maybe a 2-liter soda bottle, buried to the neck, with enough water in it that they drown?

If you use a "modern" version of a starter that uses baker's yeast in the recipe, it will eventually die out due to the acidic environment, and if there has been sufficient inoculation of natural yeast from the flour, the baker's yeast will eventually be replaced with natural (aka wild) yeast. This method isn't right or wrong, just one of the endless choices for starter recipes. When it comes to developing a starter with a strong colony of yeast, choose wholegrain flour for the first 2-3 feedings and then you can use whatever type of flour you wish. The outside of all whole grains are covered with yeast so that is your best source for yeast, more so than the air. If you want to mill small quantities of wholegrain flour yourself you can use a coffee/spice mill. Rye flour ferments faster than wheat or spelt (and rye starter also smells pretty bad but works like a charm). Spelt flour has more carbohydrates and is a good choice. All flour, including bleached/unbleached flour, will work. You can even make gluten-free starter with rice flour. There are recipes that use grapes in the mixture in the mixture as an additional source for yeast, and the gray sheen on grapes is naturally occuring yeast and the grape juice adds more sugars for the yeast to feed on (although there are more than enough "sugars" (carbohydrates) in flour for the yeast to feed on. Other sources for yeast in starter recipes can be found on cabbage leaves (the gray dusty sheen on the leaves is yeast; and I have recipes that use peach leaves in the starter as a source of yeast). Starter is a study of contradictions. All you need to do is do a search on the "care and feeding of sourdough starters" to quickly see the contradictions. My best suggestion is to try a number of methods until you find one that works best for you. When one starter dies, there are plenty more recipes to choose from. I use a starter called "Everlasting Yeast" that was popular just over 100 years ago and is just a little different from traditional starter. Helpful hints: -If your starter doesn't double in bulk when fed, it probably won't double your bread dough. -Until you know how your starter acts/reacts when resting in the refrigerator, you may want to place it on a deep-dish pie tin/dish. It's not completely unheard of for a starter to occasionally escape the confines of the jar/container while in the refrigerator. It's a lot easier to clean the pie dish than the entire refrigerator. I cover my pint jar with a small Quick Cover (looks like a tiny shower cap) with some holes poked in the cover for the fermenting gasses to escape. -If you don't have all day to make sourdough bread and you need to speed things up a bit, add 1/8 t. of SAF-Instant Yeast to your dough. -When I don't want to make bread and hate to waste 1-cup of starter to feed it, I make 8-crumpets per King Arthur Flour Recipe entitled "Sourdough Crumpets or How to Resurrect a Neglected Starter". For each 1 cup of sourdough starter, sprinkle over the surface: 1 t. sugar 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. baking soda [Grainlady note: I use a 4-cup measuring cup because this mixture foams-up quite a bit and it's easier to pour the batter from the measuring cup.] Whisk these ingredients in thoroughly. Preheat your griddle and grease your crumpet rings. Place rings on the pre-heated griddle and add 1/4-inch of batter to the ring. Cook over low/medium heat until the tops are set and full of holes (the batter also looses its glossy sheen). Remove the rings (twist back and forth with a pair of tongs to loosen the crumpet and then lift the ring) and flip the crumpets over for a minute or two. [Grainlady note: if you only have 4 crumpet rings like I do, I flip the rings so the side that didn't have the baked crumpets on is now on the bottom. Now you don't have to clean and grease your rings for the second batch.] To serve crumpets you pop them in the toaster to brown and crisp. Top with butter and your favorite jam/marmalade/jelly.... I like to add flavorings to the crumpet batter, such as orange/coconut or King Arthur's Fiori di Sicilia. I sometimes add some herbs and finely chopped ham or sausage crumbles for something a little heartier for a brunch crumpet and toast them flat in the toaster oven. Crumpets freeze well. Cool separately on a cooling rack, then quick freeze while laying flat. Separate the frozen crumpets with a square of parchment paper, stack and place in a freezer bag. Don't stack crumpets like you would pancakes off the griddle because they tend to stick together. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Sourdough Primer - King Arthur Flour

Linda, I've never fed a "boughten" starter, but I'm sure it isn't any different than the starter I make from scratch. You might find what you are looking for in Amy's Bread Sourdough recipe. I've made Sourdough bread using this starter without the addition of extra yeast. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Amy's Bread Sourdough Starter ============================= Sourdough Amy's Bread Sourdough Starter Amy Scherber & Toy Kim Dupree Cookbook For artisan bakers, using a sourdough starter is the ultimate way to create a perfect loaf of bread with the most complex flavor, the best-textured crumbs, the crunchiest crust and the longest shelf life. By using a sourdough starter, you are going back to the source, using pure, wholesome ingredients to capture yeast in its wild state and then encouraging it to thrive and multiply by creating the most favorable environment for it. With regular feeding, you can eventually tame it enough to be used for leavening bread. Like all of the best things in life, this process requires patience and careful attention to detail, but the end result is definitely worth the effort. When most Americans think of sourdough, they picture the crusty, assertively sour loaves that are produced in the bread mecca of America, San Francisco. But bread made from a sourdough starter doesn't have to be intensely sour. The level of acidity that produces the sour taste depends to a large extent on the consistency and maturity of the starter that is used. If you're one of those people who dislikes sourdough bread, don't stop reading here. We're going to show you how to make a starter that will produce a loaf as mild or as sour as you like. These instructions are for making a quick and easy starter that begins as a rye culture and is then divided in half. One portion remains a rye culture that is refreshed with pumpernickel flour to become a "rye mother"; the other portion is transformed into a white culture, refreshed with unbleached white flour, to become a "white sourdough mother". You store the mothers in the refrigerator and feed them on a regular basis. Then, when you want to make bread you use part of one of the mothers to make a starter for the dough. Each time you remove part of the mother, it must be fed again so you'll always have enough when you need it. Use organic flour and spring water to start, to ensure that the yeast and bacteria you are trying to cultivate haven't been damaged by pesticides and fungicides and that they won't be inhibited by the chemicals and/or fluoride in your tap water. Once you get your culture going, you can go back to non-organic flour and tap water to maintain it if you prefer. Rye flour loves to ferment. Once you've completed Stage One, use containers that are large enough to let the batter quadruple in volume. Do not use containers with airtight lids, as the lids need to pop up easily to release pressure from the gases produced during the fermentation process. The first time we tested this recipe, one of our containers that was covered with a tight plastic lid literally exploded - that's why we call it "dynamite" sourdough starter. (We're still finding little globs of dried rye sour in unexpected places.). If necessary, cover your container with a double layer of cheesecloth, secured with a rubber band, or punch lots of little holes in the lid. (This section is just to get you started. If you want more detailed information and some alternative methods for making sourdough starters, see page 168) Stage One 1/2 cup (2 ounces generous) organic rye flour, at room temperature 1/2 cup ( 4 ounces) spring water (equipment: one 1-pint clear plastic container with lid; instant read thermometer) 1 Put the flour and spring water in a 1-point clear plastic container and stir together vigorously until well combined. (The batter should be about the consistency of very thick pancake batter; if necessary, add more water or flour to achieve the desired consistency). Taste the batter now so you can appreciate how the taste changes as your sourdough culture develops. Check the temperature of the batter with an instant-read thermometer. Ideal temperature is 75�F to 77�F; a little cooler is okay, but a little warmer is not. If the temperature of the batter is over 80�F, you'll incubate the wrong kind of bacteria and your culture will have an unpleasant bitter taste. If the temperature is over 80�F, put the batter in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, or until the temperature has dropped into the desired range. 2 Cover the container with a lid (At this early stage an airtight lid is okay, but don't use cheesecloth, because mold seems to grown more readily with a cheesecloth cover than it does with a plastic one. Once the batter really begins fermenting, cheesecloth is fine.) Use a marker or a piece of tape to mark the level of the batter on the outside of the container so you can tell when it has doubled in volume. Set it aside at room temperature (75�F to 77�F) to ferment for 36 to 48 hours. You should start to see tiny bubbles forming in the batter after about 24 hours. By the time it has doubled, there will be a noticeable network of small bubbles throughout the batter (you can see them through the sides of the clear plastic container), and it will be bubbling and foaming on top. If mold forms on the top of the batter, discard it all and begin again. If the batter has not doubled within 48 hours, feed it with 1/4 cup (2 ounces) spring water and 1/2 cup (2 generous ounces) rye flour (or more of either ingredient if necessary to achieve the consistency of thick pancake batter). Stir it vigorously, cover it, and let it sit for 24 hours, or until you see some definite activity. Proceed with Stage Two. Stage Two 1/2 cup (2 ounces generous) organic rye flour, at room temperature 1/2 cup ( 4 ounces) spring water Equipment: One 1-quart clear plastic container with lid 1 If there is a dry crust on top of the batter, carefully scrape it off and discard it. Stir the culture down with a wooden spoon. Notice how soupy it has become (water is one of the by-products of fermentation). The batter should have a noticeably sour smell and a mild tangy taste at this point. Add the additional flour and water to refresh it and stir vigorously until well combined. (The yeasts in the culture like the energetic stirring. It redistributes their food supply and provides them with fresh oxygen to help them multiply. 2 Transfer the refreshed culture to a 1-quart clear plastic container. The temperature should be under 80�F . It is not, refrigerate until it is 75�F to 77�F. Mark the outside of the container with a marker or tape to show the level of the culture, and cover it (not tightly) with a lid. The culture should be showing a fair amount of activity at this point. You should see lots of foaming and bubbling through the sides of the container, as well as on top if you lift the cover. Let it ferment for 12 hours to develop its acidity (sour taste). If it threatens to overflow the container, stir it down, transfer it to a larger container, and let it continue fermenting for the remainder of the 12-hour period. Don't be concerned if the culture deflates and loses volume. This means the yeast has exhausted its food supply, but it will continue to increase in acidity. Don't worry if your culture isn't dramatically active yet. As long as there is some noticeable activity going on and the mixture smells and tastes sour, you're on the right track. Stage Three 3/4 cup (6 ounces) cool spring water (75�F to 77�F) 2/3 cup (3 ounces) pumpernickel rye flour 2/3 cup (3 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour Equipment: Two 1 quart clear plastic containers with lids or cheesecloth and rubber bands. 1 The culture should now have a pronounced sour, fruity taste and smell; it should not taste musty or bitter (if it does, discard it and start again, paying close attention to the temperature of the culture at all times). Using a wooden spoon (the acid in the sourdough reacts with metal utensils, divide the culture between two 1-quart clear plastic containers, putting approximately 6 ounces in each one. The next step is to thicken the culture by increasing the proportion of lour to water, this time using equal weights of each ingredient. You're also going to "customize" the cultures by feeding one with pumpernickel rye flour (which has a coarser grind than regular rye flour) and the other with unbleached all purpose flour. (We prefer to maintain our rye sour with pumpernickel flour because we like the texture and flavour it gives to our breads). After repeated feedings with unbleached flour, the second culture will eventually be "all white", unless you choose to throw in an ounce of pumpernickel rye flour now and then again for extra flavour. 2 Add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ounces) each of the spring water and the pumpernickel flour to one of the cultures. Add the remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ounces) spring water and the unbleached flour to the other culture. Stir each one vigorously. Check the temperature, as in the preceding stages. Cover each container with a loose-fitting lid or a double layer of cheesecloth (secured with a rubber band), and mark the level of the cultures with a marker or tape. Let them ferment for another 12 hours. 3 You now have two healthy sourdough cultures, approximately 12 ounces in each container. At this point you need to refresh them again, setting up a maintenance level of 12 ounces for the rye culture and 8 ounces for the white sourdough culture. (You could maintain larger amounts but it's not necessary for the recipes in this book and they would only take up extra space in your refrigerator.) These will be the "mothers" that you use to build the sourdough starters needed in individual recipes. Each time you take part of the mother out to build a starter, you must refresh it with equal weights of flour and water to bring it back up to its maintenance level. We describe how to do this below. ( in recipes that include small amounts of a sour starter just for its flavour, you can use some of the mother instead of building a separate starter.) Maintaining the Rye Mother 6 ounces (2/3 cup) rye culture 2/3 cup (3 ounces) pumpernickel Rye flour 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ounces cool spring water (75�F to 77�F) Equipment: One 1 quart clear plastic container with lid 1 Place 6 ounces (2/3 cup) of the rye culture in a clean 1-quart clear plastic container. Discard the rest of it. (Unless you plan to make larger batches of dough using the rye sourdough starter, you only need to maintain a mother with a total weight of 12 ounces- 6 ounces of mother, plus 6 ounces of fresh flour and water; any more is just surplus and takes up unnecessary space in the refrigerator). Add the flour and water and stir vigorously to combine. Cover the container and mark the level of the mother with a marker or tape. Let it sit at room temperature until it has doubled in volume. A strong mother will double in 8 hours. If yours doesn't do that , let it continue to sit out until it has a nice tangy taste and smell; discard all but 6 ounces and repeat this step again. (Flour that has been sitting on the shelf too long, or flour that has not been stored properly, does not contain as much potentially active yeast as fresher flour, so it takes a little longer for starters made with older flour to build up strength.) Repeat this procedure as many times as necessary until the mother doubles within 8 hours. It may take several days. Don't get discouraged, it's worth the effort. 2 Store the refreshed rye mother in the refrigerator. Repeat the refreshing procedure, using 6 ounces (2/3 cup) of the mother and 3 ounces each of flour (2/3 cup) and water (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons), at least once a week-twice a week is best - so the mother will be active when you need to use it. Be sure to refresh the mother the same way, with equal weights of flour and water, whenever you remove some of it to build a rye sour starter to use in a recipe. Building a Rye Sour Starter Generous 1/2 (5 ounces Rye Mother (Cold from the refrigerator) 2/3 cup (3 ounces) pumpernickel flour 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (2 1/2 ounces) warm water (85�F to 90�F) Equipment: One 1-quart clear plastic container 1 Place all the ingredients in a 1-quart clear plastic container and stir vigorously to combine. The mixture will be stiffer than the rye mother. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and mark the level of the starter with a marker or tape. Let it sit at room temperature until it has doubled in volume. (If the starter hasn't doubled with 8 hours, discard all but 5 ounces (generous 1/2 cup) of it, and feed it again in the same manner. Sometimes it takes more than one feeding if you haven't been refreshing the rye mother often enough.) 2 When the starter has doubled, it is ready to use in a recipe. Measure out the amount needed and discard any that remains. If you're not ready to use the starter right away, you can store it for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Maintaining the White Sourdough Mother 1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon (2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 cup (2 ounces) cool spring water (75�F to 77�F) Equipment: One 1-quart clear plastic container with lid 1 Place 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the white sourdough, culture in a clean 1-quart clear plastic container. Discard the rest of it. (Unless you plan to make large batches of dough using the white sourdough starter, you only need to maintain a mother with a total weight of 8 ounces - 4 ounces of mother plus 4 ounces of fresh flour and water; any more is just surplus and takes up unnecessary space in the refrigerator). Add the flour and water and stir vigorously to combine. Cover the container and mark the level of the mother with a marker or tape. Let it sit at room temperature until it has doubled in volume. A strong mother will double in 8 hours. If yours doesn't do that, let it continue to sit out until it has a nice tangy taste and smell; discard all but 4 ounces and repeat this step again. (Flour that has been sitting on the shelf too long, or flour that has not been stored properly, does not contain as much potentially active yeast as fresher flour, so it takes a little longer for starters made with older flour to build up strength). Repeat this procedure as many times as necessary to get the mother to double with 8 hours. It may take several days. Don't get discouraged; it is worth the effort. 2 Store the refreshed white sourdough mother in the refrigerator. Repeat the refreshing procedure using 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the mother and 2 ounces each of lour (1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon) and water (1/4 cup) at least once a week-twice a week is best - so the mother will be active when you need to use it. Be sure to refresh the mother the same way, with equal weights of flour and water, whenever you remove some of it to build a starter to use in a recipe. The White Sourdough Mother is used to build a Levain starter, which is used in the Country Sourdough Boule recipe on page 141. Building a Levain Starter 1/4 cup (2 ounces) White Sourdough Mother (cold from the refrigerator) 1/4 cup (2 ounces) warm water (85� to 90�F) 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt Equipment: One 3-cup clear plastic container with lid 1 Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and use your hand to stir and knead them together until a shaggy mass of dough has formed. It will be very dry and stiff. 2 Remove the mass from the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured worktable until you hae a smooth, cohesive ball of dough. This is your levain. 3 Place the levain in a 3-cup clear plastic container, and mark the level of the dough with a marker or tape. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until it has doubled in volume. (If the starter hasn't doubled within 8 hours, discard all but 2 ounces of it and feed it again in the same manner. If it is very stiff and dry, you may have to add another tablespoon of water. Sometimes it takes more than one feeding if you haven't been refreshing the mother often enough.) 4 When the starter has doubled, you have a levain that is ready to use in a recipe. Measure the amount needed and discard any that remains. If you're not going to use it right away, you can store it for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Yes, it can be frozen - but you don't want to freeze all of your starter. Freeze just enough, 1/4 to 1/2 cup, to provide you a back-up in case something happens to your larger container of starter. To freeze: take starter out of refrigerator, bring up to room temp (about 1-2 hours), feed with equal portions of flour and water, let it sit and multiply for at least 2 hours or more, then take out 1/4 to 1/2 cup, put it in a small container or freezer bag, seal, label and date, put in freezer. To revive frozen starter: thaw completely in refrigerator, let sit out to come up to room temp, feed with 1 TB flour and 1 TB water, let work for 2-4 hours, feed with 2 TB flour and 2 TB water, let work for 2-4 hours, feed again with 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup water, let work for 2-4 hours. Now you should have enough starter to use in your recipe, if not, feed with 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water and let work for 2-4 hours at room temp. You don't want to dump a whole cup of flour and one of water on a small amount of starter. You want to gradually build up the amount. Always let the starter work (bubble and expand) at room temp. Store the starter after feeding and making bread in the refrigerator.