Judy Stein and her late husband Mike started collecting charoset recipes in the 1970s. One year, at their home in Maine, they shared several charosets and discussed how each reflected the ingredients various Jewish communities had access to — chestnuts in Venice, coconuts in Suriname, dried figs and dates in Yemen. That prompted a conversation about what would belong in a Maine charoset. They settled on blueberries and cranberries, which are grown in the state. Over the years, they added maple syrup, apples, and red wine vinegar for balance. The result is a sweet-and-sour charoset that perfectly captures the flavors of Maine. Judy first shared this recipe in Joan Nathan’s “King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking From Around the World."

Read more about Judy’s family in "The Charoset Collectors of Maine” and get her recipes for Yemenite Charoset, Surinamese Charoset, and Venetian Charoset.