Garden Gold Grow Your Own Saffron
MOST GARDENERS THINK of crocuses as harbingers of spring, but the corm that produces saffron, one of the most expensive spices in the world, is a beautiful autumn bloomer. Saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) may just be a surprisingly low-maintenance, highly rewarding addition to your late-season garden — and to your kitchen!
A LONG HISTORY
Grown and harvested since antiquity in many places around the world, including Egypt, Greece, and Rome, saffron has been used in cosmetics, as dyestuff, for medicine, and in cooking. The brilliant red stigmas lend a strong yellow color to food or textiles, and during the Middle Ages, a paste colored with saffron was even used by monks as a substitute for gold in the production of illuminated manuscripts. Saffron is still expensive in this age of labor-saving machinery because it must be harvested by hand — and, as each plant typically produces 2 to 4 flowers, with only three stigmas each, it takes a vast number of plants (as well with autumn crocus, , as the latter is poisonous. Only produces harvestable saffron — no other crocus species does, whether it’s spring-or autumn-blooming.
