But I've never MADE kraut!

My Ball canning book has a recipe for sauerkraut that says you leave it in the crock for four to six weeks, skimming off the scum formation each day.  FOR FOUR TO SIX WEEKS.  
I'm sorry, I am not going to postpone road trips for a month and a half just so I can babysit my sauerkraut.  
There are many, many recipes that tell how to make sauerkraut right in the jar.  
THIS ONE tells you to put the shredded cabbage right in the jar and process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.  A facebook friend tells me her sister has used this method for years.  At least you don't have to stay home and hold its hand for six weeks.  
HERE is a simple method, but it doesn't tell whether to cold-pack it.  
THIS RECIPE looks easy.  But is it safe?
And then there's another recipe using a crock that doesn't mention skimming off the scum at all.  
HERE is a recipe that's a little different than the others.  
I am so confused.  
What I really want is for somebody who has actually made kraut in jars to tell me exactly how they do it, step by step.  


Why didn't I try making kraut while my mother was alive?  Oh wait, she made it in a crock, and that's the one you have to babysit for six weeks.  
What am I going to do with all this cabbage????


UPDATE:  Another Facebook friend gave me the method her husband uses, so it's tried and true.  
shread the cabbage and pack in qt. jars, leave 1/2-3/4 head space,add 1 tbs picking salt per qt, 1 tbs white vinegar per qt, and fill with distilled water or spring water, he uses distilled. put lids and rings on jar snug not tight, and he says they may spew when it starts to ferment, so make sure where you put the jars it won't hurt anything if it does. Put jars in dark cool place, for 3-6 weeks. He said there will be a scum on top, you need to remove this before you process them. He processes them in boiling water bath for 25 min for qts and 20 mins for pints. Or you can dump all the jars into a pot and boil kraut and brine to a rolling boil and then repack jars and water bath them for 15 min for qts and 10 min for pts. This is how he makes his he has tested a jar after 2 weeks and it is not quite ready.