100 years old, but still tastes fresh!

You'll see a new tag listed at the bottom of this post, "awesome." There are so many cool things that happen when you are on the road. Sometimes you have a great conversation or you see a sight that startles you out of the complacency of the rehearsal schedule.

This particular memory happened in Fairbanks. I was discussing my first experience with Sourdough Hotcakes, pancakes made from sourdough that are were a staple of the pioneer life. As I was bemoaning my lack of talent- I had recently tried my hand at sourdough bread and failed miserably- a tenor from the chorus said, "you know what you really need? Some righteous sourdough." He then went on to tell me a bit about how his family prepares hotcakes and how it is so much more than just breakfast food.

The next day, he showed up at rehearsal with a copy of "Alaska Sourdough" by Ruth Allman. It's the definitive guide to cooking sourdough the traditional pioneer way. He presented it to me with a small ziplock bag. Inside the bag was another smaller bag that contained the "Skilly Starter." It is a sourdough starter that has been in use for over 100 years and has travelled from Alaska to the lower 48 and back over the course of its life.

In my imagination, I wonder how many people this starter has fed over the course of all those years. How many families sat down at a table and were nourished by this. How many lives were saved in the harsh Alaska winters thanks to this starter that was handed to me.

On my first day back from the gig, I got my very first sourdough pot started. Within a week it was bubbling away and sourdough hotcakes and roll-ups have become a family favorite. It's much easier to cook sourdough this way and it is a great, quick, cooler alternative to baking bread in the middle of the summer. Once fall comes, I can't wait to try my hand at baking sourdough bread again.

And so, thank you "Tenor1" (his vanity plates on his car)! What a special and practical reminder of my first Fairbanks Opera gig.