For starters, Jewish cooking does not have to be exact.

Rabbi Mendy Margolin set out to prove that when he brought his mobile Kosher Pickle Factory Sunday afternoon, Dec. 16, to Chabad Edelman Jewish Center.

Margolin has earned the reputation of “Rabbi Pickle” over the last 10 years at speaking engagements throughout the United States, Israel, South Africa and Australia.

Decked out in his emerald-green apron, yarmulke and bushy beard, he shared his pickle-making secrets and tart one-liners with a couple of dozen adults and children attending the workshop.

Scattered among his banter were references to kosher dietary laws. Participants left with a container of kosher dill pickles to refrigerate for five to seven days before opening, eating and enjoying.

Unlike most pickles sold on store shelves, kosher pickles are made with a brine of salt, water and spices, free of vinegar, said Margolin.

“You are what you eat,” Margolin said, explaining why kosher is important.

Kosher dietary laws include not mixing milk and meat, eating only meat that has been slaughtered according to a specific ritual and salted, and fish with fins and scales.

The pickle-making process began by creating the brine solution of filtered water and two tablespoons of kosher salt poured into a plastic container.

Next came a scoop or two of pickling spices, depending upon desired taste. Five to seven peeled and crushed garlic cloves were added. Cucumbers were wedged into the container, followed by a fresh sprig of dill before the lid was closed.

Really good sour pickles take about seven days before they are ready to eat. They can be refrigerated or not in the dry Arizona climate, said Margolin. If half-sour pickles are preferred, the time can be reduced by half.

Making the pickles brought back memories for Clyde Hurtig, a winter resident from Edmonton, Alberta. He remembered that his mother used to make pickles when he was about 19 years old.

“But at that time, I could care less,” said Hurtig.