Growing Your Own Saffron

Saffron is an expensive spice that has a very distinctive flavor and aroma. It is prized throughout the world, but often only used for special-occasion dishes because it is so expensive.By weight, saffron is the most expensive spice on the planet.

Where Does Saffron Come From, Anyway?

Saffron comes from the three stigmas of an autumn blooming crocus plant, the Crocus Sativus. The Crocus Sativus is hardy from zones 6 through 9 in the United States, and it can be grown in colder climates if removed to the indoors in winter.

Is Saffron Difficult To Grow?

A good bloomer, the saffron crocus needs well drained, rich soil in a sunny but sheltered location. It is a reliable producer, creating its best crops during hot summers when it has had a chance to dry out a little.  Plant new corms in August at a depth of 4 inches. Flowers should be ready to harvest around Halloween.

Harvesting Saffron

Pick the red stigmas (not the yellow parts) of the plant, and dry them in your oven or in a dehydrator. Store saffron in a dark, cool location in an air tight bottle (brown or cobalt tinted bottles are best).  When properly stored, saffron will stay potent for five years or possibly longer. 

How Much Saffron Will You Need to Grow?

About 40 bulbs will yield a tablespoon's worth of stigmas in a season. (You'll use about 10 stigmas per recipe. At three stigmas per plant, that's enough for 6 good recipes using saffron.) The plants propagate quickly, too, so your yields will grow fast. By the third year, you'll probably be giving saffron threads away to neighbors and friends.

Can You Grow Saffron Indoors?

You can grow saffron indoors, but the plant requires lots of light and a dry period before blooming.  Use soil that drains well, and supplement the light from a sunny window with grow lights if you can't provide around eight hours of sunlight a day. Saffron crocus is poisonous, so use caution of you have young children or pets around, too.

Using Saffron

Now that you have a saffron crop, what's the best way to use your spice? The saffron you use for  culinary applications (it's also used in perfumery) should have a vivid orange/red color. Crush stamens thoroughly (I like using a mortar and pestle), and disperse it in liquid like water before adding it to other ingredients.

Make Saffron Tea

Saffron makes a relaxing ingredient in tea. Add a thread of saffron to a single serving of tea (a strong black tea works well) and prepare according to the tea manufacturer's directions. For a spicy lift, include two whole cardamom seeds to the mix. Add sugar to taste. This kind of gourmet indulgence is possible when you grow your own saffron.

Want to learn more about how I grow this special plant in pots? Visit my second post on the subject: Let's Grow Saffron

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1 - By Photographer: User:Velela (File:Safrron stigmas crocus sativa.JPG) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

2 - By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons