It's different. The sauerkraut sits in the liquid that the mold is in. Cheese can be scraped (as Mary stated.) I've mentioned before that I would need someone who knows what they're doing to walk me through the first time.
I have never had any mold on kraut. You can just use a quart mason jar for a small batch; no need for big crocks.
There should not be any mold on sauerkraut, the salt kills it, and as long as you have all of the cabbage under the brine and weighted down, the brine is all that can reach air, and it will not mold. Once you start the sauerkraut, you can taste it each day and see how the flavor changes as it goes from cabbage to sauerkraut, and you can stop the ferment anytime you like the flavor. Make a quart, or even a pint and see how it goes, @John Brunner . If it looks moldy or smells bad, then toss it; but it should not mold at all.
The recipe I read was done in a crock and weighted down with a plate. So I suspect that such a process lets air get in, huh?
As long as all of the cabbage is under the weight, and only brine above it, it should be fine in a crock, too. The cabbage can’t mold as long as it is covered with brine, and none of it is in air. I have never used a crock, just a quart jar, and one of the little pickle lids, and have never had mold.
(1/9/24) It was a spur of the moment thing. Called the Speech and Hearing Clinic at the University just after New Year's Day. I took my mother there to get hearing aids years ago. No hype or salesman's pitch. I was just tired of asking most people to repeat things, and I know how annoying that can be to them. They had an opening the next week. No time to second guess or overthink things. A PhD student named Jennifer handled everything. They had an isolation booth inside the room, like The $64,000 Question. Made you listen to noises, and words, and voices mixed with other voices at the same time. Hearing was not terrible---moderate (low pitch) to mildly severe (high pitch). Interference has always been from high pitched hissing sounds from tinnitus. Since Covid I've seen so many people on TV with hearing devices and wires in their ears, so they can appear on TV from their homes. It almost looks normal to have stuff sticking out your ears now. People will think I'm tuned into some top secret information, or listening to music, or learning a new language. The university does the research and offers a few brands they think are good. I expected the same kind my mother got, but the ones they recommended are completely different. They rest behind your ears (BTE), with a little clear wire that comes around the top and goes in your ear. If you wear eyeglasses you don't notice them at all, even if you have very short hair. Picture this man, if he had chosen black instead of grey. I picked them up yesterday. This is all new stuff to me. First impression? I'll just stop with this for now...
My daughter is an audiologist. She practiced on me and her father on one of our visits. She explained hubby's hearing loss but he never got hearing aids. He hangs with a lot of old bulls who fought their wives to get them hearing aids. Kinda interesting. He only hears half of what I say but I am not sure hearing aids would help. (selective hearing) I am sure you will appreciate your new appliances.
There are 18 steps, not counting a landing, on the stairway in the house. First trip down in the morning, almost every step squeaks. Second trip down, not as many. On hard floors, my running shoes squeak with every step. I did not know these things until yesterday. I'm not sure life is any better for this knowledge, except it helps to understand the cat's behavior.
2/5/24 Monday The cat's big day, for more x-rays and teeth re-evaluation, was Feb 23rd. Booked 2 months in advance. They had a cancellation Monday, which at least moved things up by 18 days. It seems like the last four months have been mostly just waiting and waiting ... for something to get resolved, or counting the days until the next appointment arrives. Wrapped her in a towel as usual, like I was going to pop a pill into her mouth. Instead, I popped her into the carrier. This went extremely well. No fuss. Drop off time was 7:30 a.m. I was hopeful this day would finally put an end to this waiting. They did a massive amount of new surgery, removing several more teeth, and old, partially resorbed, roots. The latter requires digging below the gums, and should cause a lot of pain afterward. They gave her a long-lasting pain killer that makes her act crazy and lasts for 4 days. It's not been going well since she got home. I thought things would turn around by now. Called the vet yesterday asking what to do. They didn't return the call. I will call again in a few minutes. More waiting. Update: They agreed to see her immediately. (Thank you) Will keep her, check her out, and call around noon.