A simple, but untimely, google search revealed that in fact my sauerkraut did NOT fail because of the mold.
There are a lot of discussions about this out there about this.
Apparently when Alice Waters said to skim off scum she also meant mold? I think being specific about something so out of the ordinary in cooking would have been helpful.
The germaphobe in me said to throw away the batch. Such a waste. Apparently it’s just like cheese and the rest was fine. I really should have used the weight to keep the cabbage “anaerobic” under to brine to prevent this, but it is totally normal. A little research really goes a long way. I will try this again soon and not be so quick to give up.
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Hi Sage, I am so happy you are experimenting with sauerkraut! Seriously! If you get confident enough I would love for you and Nathan to make a how-to video for the future yeastybeasties.com. I read the same thing about “skimming of the scum” means mold too. We like blue cheese right?. Keeping the cabbage under the brine is really important. Even after you start eating the kraut you should scrape what’s on the sides of the jar down until everything is under the brine.
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