Homemade Yeast - Part One

 I have this fantastic old cookbook that mysteriously showed up one day in my collection.  It's full of old-timey ways of preparing, storing, and preserving food.  Being the kitchen experimenter that I am, I couldn't resist the call of the homemade yeast recipe.  This evening, I finally got around to answering the call.  I am skeptical (especially of the buttermilk), but I will try anything once, and sometimes I don't learn from my mistakes and have to try it twice.  So wish me luck, and check back in a couple days when I put my (hopefully active) yeast to the test.  If it fails, watch for a "what not to do" post.