My neighbor Bob showed me why my sauerkraut kept getting moldy

I have been making sauerkraut for about 6 months now, and every single batch would get a layer of mold on top within a week. I was about to give up until my neighbor Bob, who has been fermenting for 30 years, saw me tossing a batch out. He asked what salt I was using, and I told him regular table salt with iodine. He laughed and said that was the problem, the iodine kills the good bacteria. I switched to plain canning salt for my next batch, a 5 pound bag cost me $3.50. That was three weeks ago, and the kraut is still clean and smells great, no mold at all. Has anyone else dealt with this iodine issue, or did you figure it out faster than me?

2 comments

2 Comments

gracecarr6d ago

Have you tried using an airlock lid as well?

faith_schmidt6d ago

Wait, did Bob explain why the iodine specifically messes things up, or did he just say to switch? I'm curious if the iodine kills the good bacteria right away or if it builds up over time and makes the environment bad for fermentation. I've been using pickling salt for years and never had mold issues, but I always assumed salt was just salt. It's wild to think a tiny amount of iodine could ruin a whole batch, especially since table salt has so little of it. Did you ever try rinsing the veggies before fermenting to see if that helped, or was the iodine too stuck on?