WE make our starters fresh monthly that the difference in activity and quality we send recipes for pizza dough, pretzels, awesome sourdough bread and many more.. YOU WILL RECEIVE DRIED STARTER THERE IS A REASON WE HAVE SO MANY SALES!!! .....THANKS TO ALL AROUND THE WORLD WHO HAVE PURCHASED MY STARTERS ... NOTE:; RECIPES ALSO: SO AS SOON AS YOU GET YOUR STARTER AND ACTIVATE IT, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE SAN FRANCISCO STYLE SOUR DOUGH BREAD, PRETZELS, ROLLS, SOFT BREAD, AND MORE... ZOURDOUGH SOURDOUGH STARTER Bella is from a bakery on the WHARF in SAN FRANCISCO. ..... This one has to be over 100 years old and is very active with a great sourness to her. We reproduce her in San Francisco at my sons house and store her (in wet form) there, after drying we move her to the mountains, where I live.WHY?...well, in trying to keep this one completely authentic, I figured we should keep it in the area where the yeasties were born. Activating your sourdough starter Mix 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm pure water, 1 TABLESPOON OF SUGAR (THIS TIME ONLY) package of starter powder in a bowl. Cover bowl with CLING WRAP, this helps to keep the starter from drying out and forming a crust on top, and put on the counter or in a warm place. On the second day just stir it up. On the third day add an additional 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup of lukewarm water, stirring to mix. By 48 hours you should see bubbles and signs of life. On the fourth day add 1/2 cup lukewarm water and 1/2 cup all purpose flour. (seems to be a pattern here) Feeding your starter daily for about 5 days will help it reach full activity and flavor. At day five you may continue to keep your starter at room temperature feeding it daily or put it in the refrigerator and feed it at least once weekly. The secret to successful sourdough baking is FRESHLY FED STARTER ! Our item is vacuum sealed and has an expiration date of 12/30/2035