Fermented Cauliflower gone BAD!

[chueh]

I started sauerkraut with cabbage successfully about 3 weeks ago. It has had a special smell to it, yet I can tell it's all good and fermented.

Then, I was happy to start fermenting a head of cauliflower two weeks ago. I used about the same amount of salt and water as I did to the fermented cabbage, due to the similar weight. 3 things I noticed between the fermented cabbage and the cauliflower:

1. Cabbage produced air/gas and bubbled the bubbly liquid out through the cap, whereas cauliflower has not.
2. Cabbage liquid seems a little more transparent than that of cauliflower
3. Cabbage smells like tart with kind of pleasant sourness, whereas cauliflower smells bad, moldy, and decomposed.

OK, so I checked. The top of the liquid that cauliflower emerged in is with opaque slime, and the top of cauliflower that touches the top part of the liquid grows whitish stuff (mold maybe).

Is the fermented cauliflower supposed to be this way? It smells like sweaty feet. It must be gone bad...... Why? What caused it? The cabbage is OK!

 

[Dawgluver]

Hoo boy. I think I would pitch the cauliflower, it just doesn't sound right. I would pickle cauliflower in vinegar and spices in a waterbath. I don't think it's meant to be made like sauerkraut.

 

[larry_stewart]

I made Sauerkraut a few weeks ago.
After about a week or so, I got to the desired sour/tartness I wanted, and placed it in the fridge.
I made a second batch, with similar results.
The problem I had , was one of the batches didn't have enough liquid in it, so some of the cabbage was above the liquid. I didn't realize it at the time ( or I would have submerged it), so when I took it out of the fridge to use it, not only did it look funky, but it smelled funky too. I just tossed it.
The first batch was fine, and is still in the fridge with no signs of decomposing.

Im guessing the cauliflower might have poked up above the water level, and the bacteria had a chance to get at it.

 

[larry_stewart]

Ive had similar mishaps with pickles too, if they are not totally submerged.