Fairly new to fermenting food. On my third batch of kraut right now.
For my third batch of sauerkraut I decided to go big and do 12 lbs of caraway kraut in a large crock I have used before. This batch smelled up the kitchen for a few days which had not happened on previous patches. I just attributed that to being such a big batch. About two weeks into the fermentation I checked the kraut and it had formed a bubbly, slimy film on top and smelled way off. Thought it was bad and decided to toss it and start over. I'm a master procrastinator so of course I procrastinated throwing it out for a couple of weeks. Today I went to throw it out, and it smelled fine and I don't see any slime or funny stuff.
Am I safe? Was this just the difference between doing a couple pounds and twelve pounds or should I proceed with caution?
Thanks,
Carl.