saurkraut question

[pbrouwer]

Hello there... saw a thread about this from last fall, but didn't see my question there...

I've made two batches of saurkraut recently, using the 'hooked on raw' recipe that combines fruit, berries, cabbage and spices. The first one went well, but I doubled the quantities for the second batch, and it got quite moldy on top... even under the waste leaves at the top. I removed all the fruit and cabbage that had mold on it -- but it definitely tastes different... is it saurkraut? is it safe to eat????

wondering/peter

[Satyr]

Greetings,
I couldn't let this one go unanswered once I read it. Friend if you run into this sort of problem again I strongly recommend you not partake of it. My experience is mainly derived from culturing Kombucha ... another fermented health elixir/food. Generally speaking for any foods, once there is mold appearing anywhere on or in it then the whole batch needs to be thrown away and any preparation containers thoroughly disinfected and sterilized with boiling and or using strong vinegar to kill any harmful molds and bacteria. This is because once you actually see mold this means that its biochemical roots have already spread throughout the batch and is now going into its flowering phase... hence the bad taste throughout. This means it is very dangerous to consume , even life threatening as some molds and bacteria that can grow can destroy the liver and kidneys.
To prevent any future batches from becoming infected use a larger portion of starter culture from a previous good batch of saurkraut . Once the Ph has been brought to 3.0 it is no longer possible for harmful organisms/mold to invade and grow. So by starting out with a larger portion of healthy saukraut to get the new batch working, it minimizes the window in which unhealthy bacteria and mold may grow and reduces the amount of time it will take to reach the safe 3.0 Ph where it will then essentially be immune to infection.

Namaste,
Satyr

[luckitri]

Thank you for that Satyr.