Sauerkraut: Failure!

What a bust!  I started some sauerkraut "going" thirteen days ago intending to let it "work" for two weeks.  Thirty days is often recommended in recipes...but I didn't think I could wait that long.

Today I decided that it did not look very good and opened it up.  Yep.  Fail!  There was a nasty white bunch of glop on top.  Even with these supposedly foolproof covers, the vegetables spoiled.  Well, I did use a head of cabbage that had been in the refrigerator a LONG time, so I am not giving up.  I really really like sauerkraut.  In fact in the last week I have had Reuben sandwiches twice.  Yummy!

These are pictures of the sad facts in the matter:

Nasty looking business on top of one jar.  The other jar did not look bad...

...until I opened the second jar.  This is what I found on top of both of them, so out they went.  I pulled out the glass marbles I had used to hold down the cabbage and carrots, and rinsed them off.  (I put them in a can that had had sweetened condensed milk in it when I made some key lime pie that I will talk about soon!!!)

After removing the marbles I poured off the scum then started shaking the jar to move the cabbage into the garbage disposal since there are no ways to do composting around here as far as I have been able to ascertain.  About halfway through the jar I started pulling the sauerkraut out with my hand.  Huh!!!  It was not slimy.  It was firm and crisp.  Is it possible I was dumping some perfectly good sauerkraut?  I don't know. I was not brave enough (or maybe stupid enough) to try it.  

Now the jars have been scalded and are ready to try again with so fresh (though it is March) cabbage.  Maybe I will wait until harvest time then try again.  I will not give up the ship on this...