Thank you for this very thoughtful article. I am using a starter now that has been alive in my neighbor's fridge since the 1960s. I've used it for a couple of years. My starter is not usually "strong" because I mostly abuse it. I alternate between whole wheat and AP flour, feed every day, and never throw away a thing. I refrigerate only when I will not be home to feed it every morning. My starter is allowed to increase and when it nearly fills the Weck jar, I use it to make something: crumpets, bread, pancakes. We have sourdough waffles each week. My bread rises slowly, but it does rise and the bread is tasty. It's making pizza crust today.

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