Great info as usual:)
I have also read, in Leader and Blahnik's "Bread Alone",
that the more natural (less urban)an environment,
the more likely you are to be able to capture the wild yeast.
And that having a bunch of organic grapes sitting near your starter never hurts ;) evidently they harbor wild yeast.
If you are in a rural area there are even more wild yeasts to capture, but right now they are being over run by the pollen!
Actually, studies seem to show that most of the wild yeast comes from the flour you use, not your surroundings; so you don't really need to worry too much about being in an urban environment, finding wild grapes, etc. (though the wild grapes are a nice touch, and certainly wouldn't hurt, as you say). Hope you're not enduring hay fever with all that pollen around! PJH
April 6, 2012 at 11:32am