Talking about containers for your starter...I had always used a mason jar with a cap and screw on ring to keep my starter in. But one day, I was snooping through the thrift store and I came across an 8 oz., wire-clamp, crockette, that had an image of the Golden Gate Bridge and said, "San Francisco Sourdough Starter." Well, since I live in Northern California, I had to have that. It just needed a new, rubber gasket, which I already had. The crock is just the right size to hold enough starter to make a big loaf of bread. It keeps an airtight seal, so that no other strange fungi, or other creepies get in.