https://carlsfriends.net/source.html

         Carl Griffith's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter

                      How to Get Carl's Starter

NOTE: OUR ADDRESS HAS CHANGED as of July 2022

USA Residents
Send a self-addressed, stamped (68C/ or forever) #10 envelope [SASE]
to:

Oregon Trail Sourdough
P. O. Box 337602
Greeley, CO 80633 USA

We require a  #10 envelope, also called, in the USA, a "business-size
envelope", measures about 9-1/2 inches by 4-1/8 inches (24 cm by 10.5
cm). European size DL is close enough.

If such an envelope is not available, simply send postage (or
currency as below) plus your postal address, and we will provide an
envelope. An address label is helpful but not required. 

Please, only 1 request per address. You can revive the starter and
share it with house members.

Please don't send huge or small envelopes for your SASE or send us
empty envelopes. Empty envelopes will not be sent a starter.

[SASE] Example of SASE with starter sent to you for US addresses.

 Please write your address carefully and neatly. When filled
envelopes come back marked undeliverable, there's nothing we can do
about it.

 Normally, it could take up to six weeks for your start to get to
you, but it probably won't. See why  

 

Only one start is sent per envelope to better the chance of making it
through the postal machines.

Note: The US Post Office seems to have periodoc slowdowns as some
starts have been taking 2 months to arrive after we mail them and
sometimes it seems they hold the requests and release them all at
once. This has been happening since 2019 and we can't tell when it
will happen or why. Please be patient with delivery as this is
completely out of our control.

Other Countries
Requests sent outside the US require $1.55 US postage or substitute
two U.S. one-dollar bills or an IRC (International Reply Coupon)
instead of the SASE. If you send currency, include this instruction:
"Send Starter." Send your name and address and fold your instruction
note around currency to reduce possibility of pilferage. (The
currency option is recommended for Canada and other places in the
world where U.S. dollar bills are not unusual.) Please give us your
address exactly as it should appear on the envelope to ensure we
don't make mistakes.

Our cost, including postage, for overseas mailings is ~$1.95. Your $2
remittance includes a donation of ~5C/ towards mailings to countries
where U.S. currency cannot be found.) Otherwise, non-domestic
requestors should contact a volunteer as we can accept PayPal at our
email address. (You might want to do that before you pay an
unreasonable price for an IRC.)  Any currency sent without an
instruction will be treated as a donation.

Please be aware that we cannot use stamps issued by countries other
than the US -- only US stamps are accepted by our post office and we
cannot use non-US currency.

Cost
There is no charge for the starter. Occasional unsolicited donations
offset costs of distribution and production to allow us to carry on
Carl's tradition of not requesting a fee. (Please, NO CHECKS. Our
banks have made depositing checks very difficult. Cash works fine or
we can accept PayPal at sourdough@carlsfriends.net.)

The Brochure
Read Carl's brochure here or print a copy from the MSWord (*.doc) or
Acrobat (*.pdf) files at this web site. If you do not have access to
a printer and need a copy, please write "SEND BROCHURE" on the back
side of the SASE. This is Carl's original brochure containing some
things we don't recommend (like milk, potato, or commercial yeast).
Concise instructions for reviving the dried start are also available
here containing our current recommendations for the starter.

Disclaimer
The semi-dry sourdough starter you will receive is composed of wheat
flour, water, and sourdough organisms, presumed to be "wild" yeast
and lactobacteria. The usual amount sent is a teaspoon, sufficient to
start several cultures. It is cultured, dried, and mailed under
sanitary, but not sterile, conditions by a volunteer who adheres to
the methods used and recorded by Carl Griffith. Our process is
documented here. It is not certified as a foodstuff. If you are
allergic or reactive to any of its components, you will be allergic
or reactive to it. We also guarantee that we make our best efforts so
that you will receive a healthy, vigorous dried sourdough start which
will easily revive to authentic Carl Griffith's 1847 Oregon Trail
Sourdough Starter.

This page is current Winter 2024

IMPORTANT: Publishers please make reference to www.Carlsfriends.net,
not to our P.O. Box, which may change. Full and current instructions
can be found there.

Note: We have become aware of an eBay site purporting to sell our
starter, falsely claiming we no longer exist, complete with our
stolen logo. We have nothing to do with this site and have no idea
how well the starter is being kept.

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