Mold and discoloration in sauerkraut

I made a batch of sauerkraut (pictured) over a period of a few weeks and it seemed to be going along really well. I never saw much bubbling but the liquid level definitely rose a little bit as it was fermenting as some brine got into my airlock a few times. I followed the recipe from Sandor Katz' Wild Fermentation but didn't measure my salt amount or the mass of the cabbage (have since remedied this with the purchase of a kitchen scale). However, I used the amount of salt meant for about a whole cabbage and only used a half, so I think that my salt level is definitely high enough to ward off most bad stuff. I threw in a few cloves of garlic and a handful of caraway seeds as well. During fermentation under my counter for about three weeks, the kraut was always submerged fully under the brine and I used a glass weight to maintain that state.

Before leaving for a 9-day trip last week, I put it into the fridge as it smelled pretty good by then and was ready to end the main fermentation. The liquid level was covering the kraut and most of the glass weight upon placing it into the fridge. However, checking it today, I noticed that the liquid level has dropped quite a bit, exposing the glass weight and about the top half inch of kraut. The big leaf I had covering the shredded cabbage has what appear to be white mold spots and there's some blue discoloration in the middle of the jar (although this area was covered by brine when I checked it).

Any thoughts on if I'm ok to just discard the molded leaf and remove the blue discoloration? Or do I need to restart? It currently smells absolutely wonderful for what it's worth. I'm just waiting to get some feedback before eating it in case there's something clearly wrong.

Hey Jeff,
the blue is from the garlic, absolutely harmless.
And as for the mold, it's hard to judge from afar. But I would go with my nose and tastebuds in any ferment. If it smells good, it's most probably good.
Maybe dispose the top inch and the covering leaf? And then just try some of it?

The sauerkraut looks fabulous! I wouldn't worry about the colors - certain food items ferment in interesting ways. As you do more fermenting and play with your options, develop skills, you'll find out what things tend to look like when they ferment.

If it smells good and tastes good, it should be awesome! A little mold, unless you're allergic, won't hurt you and is part of the biological forces you're harnessing to pull this mighty wagon of food enhancement.
Good job on fermenting and nice to meet you!

Thanks for the great advice. Is it typical to have the liquid level drop quite a bit after going into the refrigerator?

Happy to share that this sauerkraut tastes excellent. I made a little bit of 5% salt brine and added it on top to fully submerge the batch after discarding the large cabbage leaf that was growing mold.

good to hear.
i do some experimentation with lacto fermenting and some of the traditional Chinese recipes have a LOT of salt, like way more than I would expect, and they come out just fine. I feel like too much salt is rarely a problem.

Jeff Bigelow wrote:Is it typical to have the liquid level drop quite a bit after going into the refrigerator?

that usually happens to me if the ferment is open. I think it's just evaporating in the relatively dry atmosphere.