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My first kraut looked like pond scum for weeks
I started a batch in a big glass jar last October, just cabbage and salt. For three weeks it stayed a dull gray with a weird film on top. I almost dumped it out. Then I read about keeping it in a cooler spot, so I moved it to my basement. After two more weeks it turned a bright, clear yellow and tasted perfect. Anyone else have a batch that looked bad but just needed more time?
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jakejones5mo ago
Yeah, "better safe than sorry" is a pretty solid rule but I gotta say @davis.noah - sometimes a funky looking batch is just working through its ugly phase. That gray film you're talking about is usually just kahm yeast, not mold, and a little patience can really pay off. I've had batches that looked like swamp water for almost a month then suddenly cleared up and tasted amazing. The trick is learning to tell the difference between something that's actually rotting and something that's just taking its sweet time to ferment.
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davis.noah5mo ago
That's wild it turned around like that! Honestly, I'd be too nervous to let a batch go that long looking funky. My rule is if it gets a weird colored film or smells truly off, it's a goner. Better safe than sorry with fermentation, you know?
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