Advice on how to grow saffron in the garden or in a pot. Yield, suitable soil and factors to be considered for the saffron cultivation.
The saffron is a very precious spice, is suitable as a flavor enhancer in many culinary preparations, from risotto to desserts. The only drawback is the price.
Cost of saffron
The price of saffron is very high: we are talking about a cost that ranges between 8 and 14 euros per gram of finished product. To get an idea of the cost of saffron, we invite you to visit the Amazon page dedicated to this cooking ingredient.
The high cost of saffron is justified by the low yield and the patience and effort during the harvest.
The collection of saffron lasts on average 15-20 days. Given the high cost and goodness of this ingredient, why not grow saffron in your garden?
The saffron plant
Thee saffron is derived from the flower known as Crocus sativus of the Iridaceae family inside his corolla there are three bright red-orange filaments that contain a substance called crocin which yields the saffron .
The saffron is a small plant high 20-25 cm. The Flowering occurs between the months of October and November. This is an autumn flowering bulb!
The flowers are very pretty, so saffron can also be grown for ornamental purposes! The flowers are composed of petals ranging from a light lilac to a more intense violet. The petals are always open.
How to grow saffron
Saffron can be grown in the garden, in the vegetable garden or on the balcony, it is also possible to grow saffron in pots . Here are all the necessary indications in the cultivation of saffron in pot or in the garden.
Land suitable for growing saffron
The first thing to evaluate before proceeding with the cultivation of saffron is the type of soil: it must be a little stony and must be permeable, to facilitate better drainage of the water.
The substrate must be dissolved, not very calcareous, with an alkaline pH between 7 and 8. Avoid cultivating saffron if the soil of your garden is heavy otherwise you will rot the bulbs.
In poor, low-fertile and sandy soils, the plant produces small-sized flowers with short stigmas and therefore the yield will be very low.
Another important aspect is the fertilization, better to opt for natural manure, possibly seasoned, to be buried with a deep digging before the planting of the bulbs.
When to grow saffron
The best time to plant the bulbs is at the end of July, let's not forget that it is a plant native to the Far East where temperatures are usually quite high.
The bulbs can be damaged with the first autumn frosts. Consider that the plant suffers at 0 degrees and dies when temperatures drop to -5. In the Northern part of Italy, due to the harsher temperatures, those who grow saffron will have a poorer product both in terms of quantity and quality.
How to plant saffron
The bulbs must be buried in deep holes, at least ten centimeters deep, distancing them about 12 centimeters one from the other along a previously prepared furrow. They must then be watered regularly, paying close attention to the stagnation of water. Between the rows you should keep a distance of 20 cm.
In the income from saffron cultivation they will come to planting 40 to 60 bulbs per square meter of land. The plant should be planted in full sun.
Saffron collection
For the maturation of the bulbs it takes at least 3 months: the first flowers (pistils) can be collected at the end of October and then proceed with the processing of saffron .
Each bulb of saffron produces 2 - 3 flowers, from each flower the stamens are taken as they ripen. The harvest lasts 15 - 20 days, for the entire flowering period (from mid-October to mid-November).
During the entire cultivation of saffron , it will be important to remove weeds.
How to dry saffron
As we have seen, cultivating saffron does not require specific knowledge; more complex, however, is the extraction of saffron from the flower, this practice, in fact, requires a lot of care, experience and time.
The flowers should be detached from the stem very gently, preferably early in the morning.
Once collected, it will be necessary to proceed with the touch operation, ie the extraction of the characteristic red fillets from the glass.
Once this operation is over, the fillets are then placed inside a sieve and dried over a moderate heat source.
At the end of drying we can opt for two solutions: grind the pistils or leave them whole.
In any case, after drying, saffron is ready to be stored or used in the kitchen.