Fermentation Lamentation #6 in B-sharp minor.....

Hmmmmm.....well, to discard or not to discard?   This was not an intentional ferment.  I attempted to brine pickle some sunchokes by standard approached.  'Chokes were scrubbed clean and placed into a clean, but not sterile, Mason jar.  A few tablespoons of salt were add and the volume taken up to 1/2 from lid with tap water (non-chlorinated well water).  These were placed in the refridgerator for 5 days.  For brining, a mixture of sugar, vinegar, and water was brought to a boil on the stove.   The salt solution was poured off of the sunchokes and 1/2 tsp. of turmeric added to the jar.  Then the boiling vinegar/sugar solution was poured into the jar with the chokes, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace.  The jar was sealed with a Mason jar lid, inverted several times to mix the contents, and then placed into the fridge for 6 days,  By that time, the liquid had cleared and was the intense yellow expected for turmeric.  The sampled sunchokes had a good crispy texture and acceptable flavor.  They were returned to the fridge, but a few days later became cloudy.  This weekend felt to be a good opportunity to test the chokes.....after rinsing off the whitish deposit that had formed on the top-side of the root pieces.  They were still pretty good, but I'm uneasy.  Is this likely lacto-fermenting bacteria and yeast?  Thoughts on safety?  Thanks!

In my lacto-fermenting vegetables, the bacteria-junk that settles on the produce is usually a light beige and if you can gather enough between thumb and fore-finger, it's a slippery slurry. Does that seem like what you have?

I originally parsed your picture as a small jar, but now I'm thinking it's a gallon. If it's a small jar, that's a lot of salt, if it's a gallon, then I'd totally expect fermentation to start even in the fridge. But I'd also expect a bath of boiling anything -- and especially vinegar, to halt further fermentation.

I dunno, it seems off to me too. But if it were my kitchen, I'd sniff for off smells then (if all clear) taste a nibble for off tastes and then (if all clear) eat a small bite and wait for 48 hours for a trip to the ER. If that never materializes, I'd call them good.

Out of curiosity, what was the goal with brining before pickling?