I'm so happy to hear this was helpful Jen, I hope you enjoy these!

These are WONDERFULLY presented recipes-- thank you! I learned a lot and am inspired to make all three types of tsukemono 🙂

Hi Marta, for this recipe you can leave the pickles in the brine until you use the pickles. This is typical of store-bought Japanese pickles as well. Whole pickled veggies are usually packed in brine, whereas sliced pickles do not include brine and have a shorter shelf life.

Hi Emilie, these pickles are best enjoyed fresh (within 3-4 days) after that they'll start to lactose-ferment which will make them sour. If they turn slimy, smell bad, or get mold on them, throw them out.

Hi Katie, I think you have the wrong website (Nami is over at Just One Cookbook) 😉. To answer your question, Mushrooms aren't usually pickled in Japan. Instead mushrooms are usually simmered using soy sauce, mirin and konbu to make a sweet and salty condiment called Tsukudani. If you really want to make pickles with them, I'd recommend diluting the brine quite a bit as mushrooms absorb liquids like a sponge and will mostly likely end up too salty if you use the brine as is.

Hi Janelle, yes you can pickle kabocha in brine. Just use the recipe for the cucumbers. A lot of pickles in Japan have MSG added, so if you want that extra umami kick like the store-bought ones, you might need to add a little to get there. Personally I like the more natural taste of sake and kombucha (which both contain naturally occurring glutamate). You'll also want to use a smaller kobocha. I usually like to use young kabocha when making pickles, but fully mature ones will work as long as they are not too big (the big ones have very tough skin).