Sauerkraut Not Fermenting
I packed 100# of shredded cabbage in a blue, plastic 30 gal. (approx) barrel and made sure the salt water (1/2 c. per 10#) covered the cabbage. I placed the barrel in my basement in a room approx. 70 degrees. I put a clear plastic bag of salt water (1/4 c. salt per gallon of water) on the cabbage. During fermentation, I saw no bubbles and smelled only a little gas. When I took the plastic bag off today, there was a layer of mold. I took that off. The liquid, which didn't reach to the top of the cabbage, was "ropey", stringy, gelatinous. The kraut was mostly white instead of the translucent color I expected. Can you suggest what was wrong with the batch from the information I gave?
ANSWER - Looks like the fermentation process that forms acid did not get started allowing conditions for mold growth. Could also be some contamination occurred from spoilage microorganisms. White stuff could be yeasts. Throw this batch out since we really don't know exactly what is going on and eating molds and mold by-products can be dangerous. Next time thoroughly clean the container with mild dish detergent, rinse completely, and sanitize with chlorine using a mixture of 1 teaspoon of common household bleach + 2 teaspoons of white vinegar added to 1 gallon of water. Allow the container to completely dry.
