not recommended from certain vendors
I haven't used this starter, so my non-recommendation isn't really about the starter itself if purchased elsewhere.  I'm not sure what the starter should smell like or be like, so this may or may not be a fair rating; this was my first time ordering anything like this.  My review is mostly about the starter being offered by the current seller (aliga online).<br /><br />First, the box was inserted in a very small offering of bubble wrap (the top of the box had no wrapping, though), inside of a non-padded shipping envelope.  So no real protection there and the box was a bit smooshed, but it's not breakable so I guess that's okay.  However, when I opened the envelope I was immediately overwhelmed by patchouli.  I have no idea if culture starters are supposed to naturally smell like patchouli, but I wouldn't think so.  It was so bad that it gagged me, though I'm sure that reflex won't happen to those who enjoy that scent (I really dislike it).  I did take the box out of the envelope and slide off the bubble wrap to take some pictures, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it and use it with such a strong scent.  No way.  Lol.<br /><br />The culture did ship quickly and the seller was congenial and emailed me a shipping label to print out for return.  I had some issues with the download and they sent me a couple different files for me to try, so I appreciate their patience with that.  However, it took 3 weeks for a refund after I sent back the package.  After waiting almost 2 weeks with no word from them or Amazon, I emailed to ask how and when I should expect my refund.  They replied that they mailed it out and should expect it the next week on a certain day.<br /><br />That day came and went and I checked the tracking number they'd given me, only to find that it was not even sent out yet.  The number they'd given me was something like a parking place for a package (not sure how to describe it).  Essentially, they reserved the tracking number but it didn't mean the package had been sent.  So I emailed them again and asked what was going on and they said that it should be there in 2 days, which was a Friday.  They said something about this electronic notice thing, saying that's why I couldn't track it, but in my experience when I go to track something, I can always see where it is in the country at any given time.  For this package, it wasn't showing it to be anywhere at all.  So anyways, Friday came and went, too, and the refund didn't show up until the next Tuesday.<br /><br />I wasn't happy about that and how the refund was given, either.  They sent a check to me written out to "Cash".  I wasn't sure why they didn't write it out to me, or for that matter, why they didn't do the refund through Amazon like other sellers have done (well, I've only had to do this one other time with a vendor through Amazon).  I guess because it's cheaper to write out a check than do a credit transaction?  I really don't know.  It seemed strange to me.  I had to deposit the check into my own account because there isn't a bank here that the check was written from; I hope that it clears okay.  If not, I'll be sure to update my review.<br /><br />So even though they were cordial and speedy with their replies throughout our transaction and I eventually received a refund, I'm afraid I can't recommend buying a culture starter through this vendor.  I think if you really want this starter, you should look into buying it directly from the manufacturer's website or maybe find one comparable at the Cultures for Health site.  There are just some things you shouldn't buy from Amazon; culture starters and batteries to name a couple. Lol.  Normally, I have very good experiences here, but not with those things.<br /><br />Something that I've realized in the past week or so is that you don't really need an expensive starter if you just use a capsule or two of a high-quality probiotic supplement (one with at least a billion cells).  It's a lot cheaper to go that route, anyways, and I hear it's just as acceptable for a starter.  I remember hearing about this a long time ago, but didn't know of anyone really using this method until recently (from a reviewer of a fermenting book), so I just hadn't experimented with it at all (well, I wasn't really ready to start fermenting back then).  Now that I know that this method does work--and works well--I won't be ordering another starter; I already had a starter here in my fridge and didn't realize it--lol.<br /><br />I can recommend both Renew Life and Garden of Life probiotics because neither of them contain fillers, btw.  You don't even need those, technically, since the food usually has sufficient bacteria on it to make it ferment, but using a starter or probiotics speeds things up and makes it so there usually isn't any mold growth on top of the jar that you need to clean each day, and you don't have to use as much (if any) salt.  Using organic foods is best since they have more biological activity on them due to not being sprayed with pesticides.  From what I understand, the proper way to use the probiotic as starter is to mix it into a small amount of water and add to the jar, then top it off with purified water or brine, if needed. If you do a web search on "Vikraut and Vikimchi", you will find a site that has instructions for using probiotics in kimchi and sauerkraut; they don't use salt in the recipes.  You could add salt, if you wish, but I'm not sure how much could be tolerated by the probiotic cells.  I don't think it would hurt to add enough to taste.
Rating: 3 stars