Saffron comes from the saffron crocus plant (Crocus sativus). It grows thin and long green stems, and once mature, develops rich purple flowers with yellow stamens and red stigmas inside of them.

It’s hard work to harvest, but a growing cadre of small farmers and home gardeners are cultivating the spice for profit, or simply pleasure. Bulb-like corms, at top, produce saffron crocuses.

The saffron crocus is harvested in the fall. Its purple flowers are cut off from their stems in the morning, ideally on a bright, sunny day when the crocus is fully open. From there, the stigmas ...

meaning the saffron they planted in the late summer/early fall of 2015 was “essentially growing outside” through a cold, snowy Vermont winter. Still, to their delight, the corms (bulb-like underground ...

One year, she planted the saffron corms — or rounded stems, similar to a bulb — beneath her quince trees because the compact ...

Dhillon said 400,000 stems equals around one kilogram of saffron, which can be sold at around $50,000 to $65,000. Dhillon has found that one saffron crocus bulb can grow up to 10 purple flowers.

Saffron comes from a type of crocus flower. It's a common spice in Mediterranean cooking. Because it's hard to harvest -- it takes 75,000 flowers to get a pound of saffron -- it's one of the world ...

Saffron is rich in antioxidants, which may have many health benefits. It may also act as a mood booster and increase libido. Saffron is a spice with a strong fragrance and distinctive color. Early ...

Combine cardamom, wine, sugar, lemon juice, saffron, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer. Add pears; add water if needed to completely ...

This is where most of saffron is farmed in India, the world's second-largest producer behind Iran of the spice, which costs up to 325,000 rupees ($3,800) a kg (2.2 pounds) because it is so labour ...

A few months later, in 2021, the couple put $20,000 on a credit card to order 60,000 corms, the bulb-like stems that produce the saffron flower. And this past November, they harvested 250 grams of ...