There's lots to choose from to suit your needs. I preferred to use the Caldwell's Vegetable starter, but also used the Body Ecology from Cultures for Health. After a while and so many ferments later availability and cost drove me to look for a local source or an alternative using the same bacterium. I recently bought a pro-biotic supplement in capsule pill form. It had the same three bacterrium ingredients as the Caldwell's, it just wasn't kept in a cool enviornment. When you purchase online the Caldwell's there are concerns over shipping time's and heat. I just started a small ferment using only the pro-biotic (PB-8) pill capsules. It is bubbling away as it should on it's third day now. A ferment will start without a starter but some assistance will help speed things along I think.
I like the Caldwells plenty, but waiting for it from South Dakota to Texas, and the cost, forced me to look at the supplements. It's too early to tell if they are going to be reliable on larger ferments. I think that the Caldwell's might be available locally, just finding it.
I have avoided yogurt/whey starter because of food allergies in my house.
Good luck
Mike
