Sometimes inspiration comes in a blinding flash. It doesn’t happen often, but I guess that’s what makes an epiphany such a rare and valuable thing. This year, as is now the normal in this part of the world, we experienced a frustrating water shortage. Although the endless sunny days were beautiful, the rain just didn’t come. This becomes a very serious thing when you’re a gardener or a farmer. |
Outside the box
Gardeners never really stop thinking about their garden. So it happened that in an instant something I’d been ruminating on for several years suddenly became crystal clear in my mind. Why not leave the veggie production to the farmers who are exempted from the water restrictions in the summer? Support them by attending the market all summer, as after all it is their livelihood. My veggies and theirs all ripen at the same time! And what can I grow in my backyard that has different water requirements?
The answer was to grow saffron.
Ordering your bulbs (actually they're corms!)
I did my homework,placed my order, and two weeks later I was ready to plant the first of 300 Crocus Sativus corms in my garden. Each plant produces at least one flower, and in those beautiful mauve flowers are three bright red saffron stigmas, the only part of the flower that is used for making the most expensive spice in the world by far, because they have to be hand gathered and those stigmas must be gently and skilfully removed from each flower. They are then carefully dried and stored under specific conditions before being used.
The corms must be planted from the end of August until September. They are dormant during the summer and must not have any rain for these months! So this is perfect for our climate, and the water shortage! Then when the first rain comes their dormancy is broken, and they start to grow.
In October the plants start thriving with the rains. They grow very quickly, and amazingly, they start to produce more corms. You can’t see them of course, but their shoots come through right next to the parent plants.Mine averaged about 4 per plant. Then the flowers start to appear! It’s an enormously fascinating and gratifying experience to see them develop almost overnight. You quickly learn to process them, and need minimal equipment for it.
I love the idea of turning my garden into a backyard farm with this crop! I love being able to reap the benefits so quickly and enjoyably. It looks like those flowers are going to give at least 80% saffron in these couple of months. As I write this, in the beginning of November, those plants are in full production.
Some saffron facts
- Saffron is by far the most expensive spice in the world. This is due to the exacting hand labour required at every step of the growing, processing, storing and packing.
- It takes 75 to 100 flowers to create 0.5g of dried saffron, which yields approximately 225 to 300 Saffron threads. You’ll pay about C$30 for this amount. You need about 4 threads per person when you cook a meal.
- It’s estimated about ¾ of saffron on the market is adulterated with various other substances, including things like safflower petals, turmeric and chilli. It’s best always to buy saffron from a trusted and reputable source, and only to buy threads, not crushed products.
- If the saffron is packaged in plastic, exposed to the light, the quality will not be good.
- Saffron is reputed to have many health benefits, and its goodness is very concentrated. It is indispensable in the cooking of certain dishes, such as paella, and much loved by discerning chefs.
- I’ve discovered the hands that process saffron often have yellow fingers. Saffron is an amazing colour producer. Those robes the monks wear are dyed with saffron water.
My raised beds are presently being readied for next year. Another thousand bulbs should fill them. Veggies are out, saffron is in.