Greetings and welcome to sourdough baking! Once you receive your package, please either feed your new starter right away or place it in the refrigerator until you are able to feed it.
When you are ready to begin, empty the contents of the baggie into a glass jar. It’s okay if you don’t get every morsel out of the baggie – each tablespoon contains enough of the wild yeast to sour whatever flour you feed it. For the first feeding, feed your 2 ounces of starter 2 ounces of flour and 2 ounces of water. If you are not able to use a kitchen scale and instead have measuring cups, feed the starter 1/4 cup water and just under 1/2 cup flour.
Here is a helpful tutorial (and video) if you need further explanation on feeding your starter: https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/sourdough/how-to-feed-sourdough-starter/.
For ideal results, I always recommend an organic whole grain flour due to its nutritional superiority. Freshly ground is a bonus but not necessary. You will know your starter has adjusted to its new environment when it becomes nice and bubbly and has risen.
You may switch to another flour type at any time, but always allow a few days for your starter to adjust between flour types. Only feed one flour type at a time.
Going forward, your starter’s “food” will consist of equal parts (by weight) of flour and water. If using measuring cups, the ratio is 1 part water and a little less than 2 parts flour.
Once the starter has about doubled in volume and is nice and bubbly, it is active and ready for baking. If you allow it to rest longer, it will deflate back down to its original height. If you are keeping the starter at room temperature, feed it about every 12 hours. If you store the starter in the fridge, you only need to feed it once a week.
Here are some of my favorite sourdough recipes:
http://homejoys.blogspot.com/2011/06/whole-wheat-sourdough-bread.html
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/handbook/whole-wheat-sourdough-english-muffins
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/grandmas-sourdough-pancakes-141205
https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/whole-wheat-sourdough-crackers/
https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/farmhouse-on-boone/healthy-one-pot-meals-sourdough-skillet/
Any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!