Hi all,

I love cooking w/ saffron, however it pains me to purchase the spice in
the grocery store. I am curious to try growing saffron crocus in my
yard for use in cooking. Has anyone ever tried this here? Know any
local nurseries that carry the bulbs?

Thanks!
Heidi

Wow - good luck! My understanding is that extracting the threads from
the crocus is an extremely painstaking process, and that explains the
high price per ounce.

Note, though, that a little goes a long way - I cook with saffron a
lot and am still on a 1-oz box I bought 5 years ago.

However, the direct answer to your query is yes, it's growable. Check
he
http://www.hirts.com/cgi-local/catal...2,16,&item=433

or search google for saffron crocus bulb for more suppliers.

Cheers,
Andy


Heidi writes:

Hi all,

I love cooking w/ saffron, however it pains me to purchase the spice
in the grocery store. I am curious to try growing saffron crocus in
my yard for use in cooking. Has anyone ever tried this here? Know
any local nurseries that carry the bulbs?

Thanks!
Heidi


--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew J Perrin - http://www.unc.edu/~aperrin
Assistant Professor of Sociology, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
* andrew_perrin (at) unc.edu

Heidi,

If you mean that the high price pains you in the grocery store, check the
Hispanic seasonings section -- I *think* that I saw "Mexican Saffron" (or
something like that) in packets that seemed much cheaper than the usual
price for a little bottle of saffron.

I'm not sure if the stuff is comparable, but it might be worth a try.

As for growing it, I think you need a lot of crocuses to get much usable
saffron.

Anne Lurie
NE Raleigh





"Heidi" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I love cooking w/ saffron, however it pains me to purchase the spice in
the grocery store. I am curious to try growing saffron crocus in my
yard for use in cooking. Has anyone ever tried this here? Know any
local nurseries that carry the bulbs?

Thanks!
Heidi

Three threads (stigmas) per flower! Six plants for one small recipe, 1
million for a pound!

"Anne Lurie" wrote in message
.com...
Heidi,

If you mean that the high price pains you in the grocery store, check the
Hispanic seasonings section -- I *think* that I saw "Mexican Saffron"
(or
something like that) in packets that seemed much cheaper than the usual
price for a little bottle of saffron.

I'm not sure if the stuff is comparable, but it might be worth a try.

As for growing it, I think you need a lot of crocuses to get much usable
saffron.

Anne Lurie
NE Raleigh





"Heidi" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I love cooking w/ saffron, however it pains me to purchase the spice in
the grocery store. I am curious to try growing saffron crocus in my
yard for use in cooking. Has anyone ever tried this here? Know any
local nurseries that carry the bulbs?

Thanks!
Heidi

In article , Heidi wrote:
I love cooking w/ saffron, however it pains me to purchase the spice in
the grocery store. I am curious to try growing saffron crocus in my
yard for use in cooking. Has anyone ever tried this here? Know any
local nurseries that carry the bulbs?

In the book "Secrets of Saffron" Pat Willard talks about growing crocus on a
small plot in New York City and eventually harvesting it and having a party to
celebrate. As I recall, she didn't grow, and didn't expect to grow, enough to
make more than a couple of dishes, but she had a thouroughly good time.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...476246-5997769

--
Bryan C. Andregg Duke University Medical Center
Programmer Dept. of Anesthesiology
e
p +1 919 684 6201

Anne Lurie wrote:

If you mean that the high price pains you in the grocery store, check the
Hispanic seasonings section -- I *think* that I saw "Mexican Saffron" (or
something like that) in packets that seemed much cheaper than the usual
price for a little bottle of saffron.

I love to cook. I've in the last couple of years slowly transitioned
into buying almost all of my spices on the web. The place I use is
Penzey's (I also love the recipes in their catalogs) but there are lots
other places on the web. Prices are *way* better IMO than buying form
local stores plus the selection is wonderful.

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 17:14:05 GMT, Heidi wrote:

Hi all,

I love cooking w/ saffron, however it pains me to purchase the spice in
the grocery store. I am curious to try growing saffron crocus in my
yard for use in cooking. Has anyone ever tried this here? Know any
local nurseries that carry the bulbs?

Yes, we've grown our own saffron for years, in Orange County. It does
just fine, like most other crocuses.

I rarely buy bulbs locally, since there are number of reputable
discount bulb vendors with excellent prices, such as:

http://store.brentandbeckysbulbs.com...RSpV&mv_pc=251
(hope that URL works ok).

At cropping time, just nip the threads, put them between some paper
towels in a dry location, and wait a few weeks. Simple and effective.
Although I have to admit it's my wife who usually remembers to do it
at the right time.

You may find this descriptive information useful:
http://www.crop.cri.nz/psp/broadshe/saffron.htm

WARNING: Do *NOT* plant these anywhere near colchicums, if there's
any danger you could possibly mistake a colchicum for a saffron crocus
and poison yourself -- particularly since a couple of varieties of
colchicums have common names like 'meadow saffron'. Sheesh!

-- Tim