Today we’d like to introduce you to Aïcha Bahara.
Hi Aïcha, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I moved to Florida in 2016; I’m from The Netherlands. One of the things I missed most was food that tasted familiar. I had a hard time getting used to the flavors, and I felt everything had a chemical taste. In the Netherlands, I always bought a jam that was very fruity and not overly sweet. In 2017, while walking through a farmers’ market one day, it suddenly hit me: why not make your own jam? I had done it before; when I was 12, I made Marmalade, and I loved it. So, I started looking up unique and unusual recipes. One of the first jams I made was Blueberry Lavender. It is one of the best sellers to this day. Soon after, a whole new world opened up to me; I started making floral, spicy, and boozy jams. I learned so much about combining ingredients and creating flavors that I never knew were possible.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It certainly hasn’t been smooth in the last 2 years. Especially when Covid hit. Everything became uncertain; for a period of time, there were no farmer’s markets, which was how we get the jam to the customers. And shortly after came the shortages, jars, for example, were hard to find for a long time. Then came the price increases due to inflation. But despite the hurdles, we were able to continue and make artisan jams.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I was born in rural southern Morocco; we had no electricity, no television, and no running water. Mail would take months to reach us. The only connection with the outside world was an antenna radio that worked on batteries. The tribe, the Ait Atta, I belonged to wanted to live life according to how our ancestors lived. Without any influences from the big cities. My grandparents owned a small henna farm for profit, but they also grew everything we ate: wheat, barley, vegetables, fruit, dates, and almonds. My grandmother had her chickens and her goats. She would grind grains to make sourdough bread and couscous and use the raw goat milk to make buttermilk, butter, and ghee. That was daily life, selfsufficient, calm, peaceful, grounded and connected with nature.
When I was 6 years old, my father moved us to Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Which was completely the opposite of life in South Morocco. It was everything my tribe avoided at all costs for decades. But I loved it as much as I loved rural Morocco. They say in Amsterdam, “once an Amsterdammer, always an Amsterdammer”. I went back to Morocco when I was 12 and lived there for another 2 years before I returned to Amsterdam. I believe those life experiences have taught me to think outside of the box, being flexible, open to new things and creating everything from scratch. I use this experience in my daily life and when I make jams. I like to use ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, orange blossom, dates, and roses. It reminds me of those years growing up in Morocco.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love that it has the small-town feel, with the historical downtown. I am a history buff, so every time I learn something new about the history of a building, I get all excited. DeLand is surrounded by a lot of nature, and although is a completely different continent and environment, being close to nature brings me back to that feeling of connection and feeling grounded. We have all seen the influx of people moving to Florida, and DeLand is no exception. There are a lot of new houses and community building happening, and as a result, trees are being cut down to create space.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @shebajamsjellies
- Facebook: shebajamsjellies
