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Grow Your Own Saffron
Grow Your Own Saffron
As summer drifts gently into autumn it is time to think about filling those gaps in the garden. It may feel ungrateful to start pulling up summer bedding – but now is the time to think about making space to plant bulbs. At Capital Gardens, we have just received our autumn and spring bulbs delivery, so the best selection is available now!
You might feel it is too early to start choosing daffodils and tulips, but it certainly isn’t too early to plant autumn flowering bulbs.
The most famous autumn flowering crocus is the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus. And it is this special crocus we are looking at in this blog. Saffron crocuses have a reputation for being difficult to grow; this reputation isn’t justified. To avoid failure, simply buy the bulbs now and plant them straight away.
Saffron Spice – Red gold!
Saffron is famous for being the world’s most expensive spice. Measured ounce for ounce it is more expensive than gold! Hence the alternative name, ‘red gold’.
Saffron spice comes from the flowers of Crocus sativus.
Saffron has always commanded high prices because it is labour intensive to cultivate, harvest and to processes. Its cultivation still relies on traditional knowledge handed down within families and is largely unaffected by industrial processes.
Saffron spice is made from the three stigmas (the female, receptive parts) found in each flower. These stigmas need to be picked by hand and then dried. It is calculated to take four thousand crocus stigmas to make a single ounce of saffron spice!
Spain produces the largest quantity of saffron nowadays, but it is also commercially grown in France, Italy, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Australia, and China.
Saffron in History.
Saffron has been cultivated for over three millennia. Saffron was valued as a drug, a spice, a perfume, and a dye. Saffron was cultivated in ancient Greece, Persia, and Mesopotamia. It is mentioned by Ancient Greek writers, and in the Song of Solomon. Queen Cleopatra of Ptolemaic Egypt is said to have had a cup of saffron added to her bath before she met with her lovers.
The name saffron originally comes from the Arabic za’faran, meaning yellow, used in the Middle East from ancient times.
Closer to home, saffron was a lucrative crop grown around the Essex town of Saffron Walden for many centuries. Saffron was first cultivated in the area during the reign of King Edward III (1327 – 1377) and its production continued into the 18th century. The town’s arms still feature crocus blooms.
To learn more about the town of Saffron Walden and its connection with the saffron crocus:
https://www.visitsaffronwalden.gov.uk/the-saffron-crocus/
The story of its introduction to cultivation in England comes from the English explorer and writer Richard Hakluyt, who wrote in 1589 that:
‘a pilgrim, proposing to do good to his country, stole a head of Saffron and hid the same in his Palmer’s staffe, which he made hollow before for purpose…he brought this root into this realme’.
This was a brave thing to do at the time, because if he had been caught smuggling the bulb out of the country where it grew, he would have been executed – such was the value of the saffron trade.
My Swedish colleague Anna at our Alexandra Palace centre told me that saffron first arrived in Sweden in the 1300s. Anna also informed me that saffron is an essential part of Swedish Christmas baking; “It is especially used for making lussebullar (Lucia’s saffron buns) in honour of Santa Lucia’s day (December 13th). Saffron is used because of its high value and the bright yellow colour – Lucia means ‘light’.”
To learn how to make your own lussebullar:
https://www.scandikitchen.co.uk/recipe-lussebullar-swedish-saffron-lucia-buns/
Where did Saffron originate?
The exact origin of Crocus sativus has long been debated. The cultivated form is male-sterile – it never sets seed unless cross-pollinated by a different species. The bulbs can only be increased by vegetative reproduction – that is in other words, by the multiplication of daughter bulbs.
Modern genetic studies show that the saffron crocus emerged and was domesticated in ancient Greece:
https://phys.org/news/2019-04-saffron-crocus-greece.html
Growing Your Own Saffron.
Now is the ideal time to plant saffron crocus bulbs for beautiful autumn flowers. The bulbs (technically corms) will grow well in a wide range of soils as long as they have good drainage.
Plant your saffron crocuses as soon as you buy them. They will produce large, lilac flowers within a few weeks of planting. The foliage appears in spring and should be left to build up the bulbs for next year’s flowers.
I have observed in previous years that the corms will even start flowering in their packets if they are not purchased right away! In other words, they want to produce flowers just get them planted!
You can grow saffron crocus bulbs in pots, as shown on our Instagram account (@capitalgardens). Or you can plant them in the ground in a sunny spot such as a rockery or between shrubs, Plant the bulbs about 8cm deep and around 10cm apart if you are putting them in the ground.
Expert’s Tip: if your crocuses become crowded after a few years, lift after the foliage has died down and divide the corms and replant them with more space.
Top Tip: The corms should not be consumed; they are toxic if eaten.
How To Harvest And Use Fresh Saffron.
If you decide to grow some saffron bulbs this year you will soon have flowers that are ready to harvest. The harvest is very brief, the stigmas must be collected the day the flowers bloom.
Simply remove the three red stigmas using tweezers, and gently dry them before using them to add colour and flavour to a variety of dishes. The sweet, musky, floral flavour of saffron adds luxury and yellow brilliance to many dishes, from curries and pilaffs to risottos and paellas. And from custards and cookies to yeasty buns.
Who knows, maybe I can persuade Anna to make some saffron buns with the saffron harvested from crocuses I planted for the Capital Gardens Instagram reel?
