Description

• Saffron comes from a plant called Crocus Sativus Linneaus, a variety of autumn crocus. The plant produces pinkish-purple flowers. The spice is found in three orangish-red stigmas. The plants produce crocin, the substance that gives the stamens their deep, rich color. Bitter-crocin gives the stamens taste and aroma.
  
  

Process

• Workers must hand pick the stigmas from the saffron crocus to get the spice. More than 75,000 flowers are required to make up 1 lb. of spice. The labor-intensive process plays a primary role in the high price of saffron. For gardeners growing a few plants for personal use, the stamens require harvesting on the day the flower opens or the next morning at the latest. Otherwise, the stamens start deteriorating and lose quality. The plant also requires thorough drying before it can be stored for later use. In some years, the plants produce a second flower a few weeks after the first bloom, making it important to keep a close eye on your plants if you want to harvest saffron from any additional blooms.
  
  

Growing

• Nurseries and gardening stores sometimes carry saffron crocus bulbs. Saffron crocus stays hardy to USDA hardiness zone 6. Some nurseries sell autumn crocuses, but the saffron-producing plants must say Crocus sativus on the packaging to get flowers that produce saffron. Bulbs should be planted in the early fall; they will bloom for the first time in the fall of the following year. The plants require at least several hours of sunlight a day and light watering while they're in their growth stage. The plants multiply easily and should be divided every four years or so.
  
  

Lifecycle

• In the first year of growth, saffron crocus planted in the fall produces a clump of leaves that continue to grow through the winter. Sometimes the plants reach up to 2 feet in height by springtime. But, in mid-spring, the leaves die down completely. The bulb goes dormant and stays dormant all summer long. In the fall of the first year and in subsequent years, the plant comes out of dormancy, sending up new leaves and flowers from which the stamens eventually get harvested.