Shinji and I have had great results with our nuka pickle pot. Recently we went to Elizabeth Andoh's school, A Taste of Culture, for a tea tasting. Part of our class included tasting nuka pickles. When Andoh Sensei opened up the her ceramic pot the aroma was noticeably different from ours. She had said that some of the nuka dated back to over 100 years ago. Like a sourdough, these reflect the environment and develop over time. She packed a bit of her nuka in a plastic bag for us and we took it home and added it to our pot. She also gave us some mikan peels (a mandarin-like citrus) and sansho berries (Japanese prickly ash) as well as some egg shells. We added that to our pot and the next day we could see a big change in our nuka.
In the top photo you can see in the lid of the nuka pot a cucumber and a Japanese turnip that Andoh Sensei has pulled out of the pot.
She also advised us that if our nuka becomes too loose (or filled with liquid), to put a small ochokko (small sake cup) in the middle of it and push it down to make a small valley and to let it rest and that it will fill up with the excess liquid and to disgard it.
Andoh Sensei holds different tastings, cooking classes and culinary tours through A Taste of Culture.
www.atasteofculture.com
