I have a sour dough starter that I made almost a year ago and it has sit in the back of my old fridge just as long. I also have a sweet bread starter that I know I can activate with a couple of feedings. SO when I got my new fridge the sour dough starter got some love. I fed it yesterday and had some action. Today I fed it again and with in 3 hours it has doubled in size. I would say its good to go for making bread. The red elastic shows the start line.