I subscribe to the old rule "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" so since it worked before stick with what works. Many of us make kraut, lots of kraut every year, without using yogurt.

Your air temps are ok, just a bit high. Got a corner that is just a few degrees cooler?

Dave

I plant my cabbage extra early, under cloches, so I can get it in before the weather gets too warm to make good kraut. By day 3-4 that baby should be giving off some heat you can feel when you stick your hand in it. If it gets too hot you may need to cool it down. My best batches happen when we're still getting cool 50-something nights and 70-something days.

When the temps run hot, I just adjust the fermentation time of my kraut to fewer days.
In the "cold" of our So. Calif winters, I may leave the kraut for 10 to 21 days (taste it).
In warmer weather (high 70's), it may be ready for refrigerator storage in as little as 3 days.
Kimchi I do just 24 hours. It will develop a nice ferment in 24 hours.
I never use a starter for cabbage products but do save some of the fermented juice from the last batch (1/4 to 1/2 cup) and add it to my next batch being made.
I don't like skimming scum off the top, so I always seal my jugs with a Tattler lid with an air-lock filled with water so the gases may only bubble out and oxygen is kept out.
Hope this helps.
Jim in So Calif

I would worry about not having any Leuconostoc mesenteroides bacteria if the fermenting temperature was too high. They are responsible for a lot of the delicious flavor in kraut but won't flourish at temperatures higher than 72.

Ive been a tad neglectful of my kraut, my son has been visiting. It has been 2-3 days since I checked it and there were some large mold bodies floating on top. I scooped those out. The water seems a little "thicker" than when I started but doesn't seem slimey. I looked in my books and it says to discard moldy kraut but none of the kraut was actually moldy, it was just floating on top. When I removed the plate holding the kraut under, it looks OK. What do you guys think?

Just skim off all the mold and a thin layer of the discolored cabbage below it. When it says discard it means more than just surface contamination.

Dave

If the layer on the top of your kraut has darkened, and is one inch thick, I discard it. I go down to where the color "looks good".
It may be safe to eat, but we also eat with our eyes, and at least my eyes do not like brown discolored kraut.
I use sealed containers to make my kraut and don't have to worry about that "brown" top layer any longer.
Jim in So Calif

Thanks for the responses. My kraut isn't brown colored. It was just the stuff floating on top of the brine. My kraut actually looks pretty good but like others new to making it (after reading numerous posts) I was a little leery of the mold and any remnant organisms that may be lurking. Thanks again, Lori

You are welcome to roll eyes but I do thank-you all in advance for being patient with my questions, all of which you've probably heard a 100 times.
1. I scooped some more white scum off the top of my kraut this morning. The actual kraut under the plate looks good, tastes like kraut but way too salty. I used exactly the amount the Ball recipe called for. Any way to cut this without compromising safety when processed?
2. I seem to remember adding a very tiny amount of sugar and some vinegar to the brine last time I made this (last time I did the individual jar method). Any problem with this?
3. It calls for BWB in the Ball book. It kinda freaks me out to use the brine that I just scooped mold and scum off of. I guess I just need some reassurance. Lori

Well, I decided to use the hot pack method and once I got started, felt much better about it. I had to add more brine so I had enough to cover in the jars but added vinegar and sugar to taste. When I turned my bucket over to dump the kraut into the heating pan, it all looked beautiful. Lori

Well, I decided to use the hot pack method and once I got started, felt much better about it. I had to add more brine so I had enough to cover in the jars but added vinegar and sugar to taste. When I turned my bucket over to dump the kraut into the heating pan, it all looked beautiful. Lori

Don't forget and save a couple of jars "fresh" for the fridge and do not cook it. I will keep for months.
Most importantly, cooked sauerkraut has lost all the live bacteria or the probiotic content. I believe 145 F. is the "killing" temperature.
Jim in So Calif