Paw paw jam, her claim to fame

POLOKWANE – Sometimes buying something that has been homemade can be more fulfilling and worthwhile, especially when you know that by buying it you are supporting someone else in their endeavours.

This is the case if you support Annah Mathiba’s special homemade jam. It is her way of showcasing her skills. Her claim to fame is also not just any kind of jam, but from a fruit not usually associated with jam.

Annah makes delicious paw paw jam which she also packages in beautiful jars. She started making the jam earlier this year after she attended a workshop at the University of Limpopo where she was taught how to make jam. The workshop she attended was for one day only for which she received a certificate afterwards.

Annah reveals her recipe is a secret, after having tried and tested various ingredients, but the easiest way she can describe the process is that she first peels and slices the paw paw before blending it and cooking it with sugar among other ingredients – that is what gives the jam its full flavour, she divulges.

When asked why she makes specifically paw paw jam and not also other flavours, Annah says it is because one cannot find paw paw jam anywhere. “It makes my jam different from others,” she says.

This is Annah’s only form of income and she states proudly that a lot of people already buy her jam and that her customers seems to really love it.