At the end of 2024, I received a dry start for sourdough in the mail but it wasn’t until a few days ago that I was inspired to get it started. Unbeknownst to me, it was timely because there had just been a recall for bread (which was found to have glass fragments) in Connecticut among other states. But could I commit to the task that is sourdough?

Would I become that person who has to travel with their starter to feed it? What things would I make? What would mastery/success look like? I mean, I have always enjoyed bread making but have been a bit intimidated by sourdough. So far, the challenge has been keeping it somewhere warm since the temperatures tend to dip at night. So once I can get it started properly, I’m sure my experimentation will know no bounds. But first the basics!

What does any of this have to do with a mountain? I’d been thinking of witty names for my sourdough starter but somehow settled on something a bit more meaningful to me. Mt. Longonot is a stratovolcano situated in the Great Rift Valley, in the town of Naivasha in Kenya. The word Longonot is derived from the Maa language (spoken by the Masaai people) Oloonong’ot, and translates to the place of many spurs.

I attended primary school (think middle school in the US) in the town of Naivasha, where our excursions would often include a hike to Mt. Longonot. And thinking about it now, I’m reminded of how my legs ached, the sweltering heat that would have sweat pouring out of you, but also how gorgeous the view was. So you see, it seems fitting to name my sourdough starter Longonot - so much effort but very worthwhile. Fingers crossed🤞🏾