Perhaps tsukemono has fountain-of-youth properties, judging from the vibrancy of not just 88-year-old Kay Ishimoto (above), but also California resident Betty Mayebo, who at 93 is known in the farming town of Fowler as the "Queen of Tsukemono." 

Mayebo grows nearly all the organic vegetables she uses to make her recipes of pickled Japanese vegetables, from ume and takuan to fukujinzuke, a combination of eggplant, daikon, cucumber and lotus root.

Five of Mayebo’s recipes are featured in a video series documenting her pickle making. 

"Ancient Food Treasures," produced by filmmaker Kerry Yo Nakagawa, is a how-to guide featuring Mayebo making ume, takuan, fukujinzuke, shiso and uri no kasuzuke (pickled cucumber), plus her version of dried persimmon, another delicacy Mayebo is famous for in Fowler. 

Mayebo said she learned to make tsukemono at about age 50, when her mother was in her 90s, after her four sisters and a brother appointed her to carry on the tradition. She still executes her mother’s recipes precisely as she was taught. 

"Now the young girls help me," she said, referring to a group of middle-age women who are learning her techniques.

As for the secret to good tsukemono, Mayebo’s advice is simple: Use organic vegetables and take your time to follow the cooking process properly.