Jeff’s been to Alaska many times. His grandmother and many of his aunts, uncles, and cousins live in and around Homer, AK. Last year, he sent me a sourdough starter postcard… but it never arrived. When we returned from our Alaskan honeymoon last month, he surprised me with a sourdough starter postcard (the starter is inside the paper). Only this time, it was hand-delivered. There are many resources on how to make your own sourdough starter; you basically let a mixture of flour and water sit for a few days. The flavor of the sourdough batter pairs perfectly with end-of-summer blackberries and real maple syrup. Hope you like it!

–Leah and Jeff

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sourdough starter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 T butter, melted
• Pint of blackberries
• Maple syrup and more berries, to top

Directions:

1. Mix the starter, milk, melted butter, and eggs together.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. (Lumps are ok!)
3. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, heat the waffle iron.
4. Our waffle iron was a recent gift and is non-stick, so we placed the berries right on about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter. The berries could also be chopped and mixed into the batter.
5. Cook according to your waffle maker’s instructions, top as desired, and enjoy!