Barm and levin

barmAbout forty years ago yeast was often scarce. To make a raising or barm for bread woman used hops and potatoes and sugar. This was placed in a bottle. When it had worked enough it was called a spong and was put in with the flour to make the bread rise. Sometimes there was a woman in the village called "the barm woman". People would go to her to get some barm. People also use to borrow levin or raisin dough and from this there(sic) own bread would rise.DNE-citUsed I and SupNot usedUsed ISource appears in DNE I as: P 192-67. Only the last two sentences of quote appears in DNE