Benefits of Growing Saffron
Since it is rated as the most expensive spice in the world, growing saffron on your own may be the best way to acquire this potent seasoning. While it may be costly to buy, it is actually inexpensive and effortless to grow.
The beautiful purple blossoms of the crocus are the source of the spicy saffron. Bright reddish orange stigmas sprout from the central interior of the flower; representing the female portion of the bloom. Most people consider crocus blossoms to be harbingers of spring because many varieties are early bloomers. There is a specific crocus called crocus sativus that is a fall blooming variety, and it is this humble, unassuming flower that produces the extravagant, highly sought after spice called saffron.
Crocus sativus can be grown in any type of climate; however, it is only considered to be a hardy bulb in USDA zones 6 through 9. When planted in northern states that experience cold, harsh winters, the bulbs must be lifted and wintered indoors in a cool, dry and dark location, such as a garage or basement. Garden beds that receive full sun provide the ideal setting for the bulbs. Plant them in the spring when the danger of frost has passed about 3 inches deep. Since the bulbs won’t truly emerge until early fall, decorative annuals can easily be planted around them and enjoyed through the summer. As the annuals die away, the small green spikes of the crocus will become visible.
As with most bulbous plants, the crocus bulb multiplies over a period of time. Starting a crocus bed of about 40 or 50 bulbs will provide a glorious display of lavender loveliness in your yard, as well as supplying you with around a tablespoon of saffron at the end of the season. By the beginning of the fourth year with the crocuses, you will find that your modest investment in the flowers will have at least doubled, and likely even tripled. Digging up the bulbs and dividing them may be needed for a more aesthetically pleasing appearance and to give the new plants the room they require for optimal growth potential.
Since the crocus sativus is such an easy plant to grow, some may wonder why the spice is such a huge expenditure. Miniscule amounts of saffron are harvested from large numbers of flowers; 75,000 flowers produce 225,000 stigmas which produces approximately one pound of saffron. The stigmas must be handpicked, after which they are generally dried on paper toweling in open air. After several days, the saffron threads will be dry and ready to be stored in an airtight container awaiting their use in recipes. Fortunately, it takes very little of the saffron to spice a dish. A tiny pinch that equals ¼ teaspoon is often an amount sufficient.
Growing saffron in your own garden will mean that you will have an adequate quantity of the pungent spice without spending hard earned dollars, and will also assure you of its quality. There are many delicious recipes that will enable you to explore the culinary world of saffron; Asian, Mediterranean, Indian and Italian dishes are often enhanced by the spice. When added to rice, noodles and breads, saffron transforms the color of the dish into various shades of yellow depending on how much of the spice is added. The ideal coloration is a warm shade of buttery yellow. The best method of using saffron in recipes is to rehydrate the dried thread in a cup of hot water before it is added to the recipe. It can also be added in dried, powdered form.
The high price of a spice should never stand in the way of preparing a delicious meal; especially when growing saffron is such an easy thing to do.