From Harvest to Home: Understanding the Saffron Journey

Table of Contents

1. The Mystique of Saffron: (How did i not think about this before? seriously.)
2. The Crocus Flower: More Than Just a Pretty Face (I was kinda judging it as just “flower”.
3. Picking Petals, Not Just for Love: (Or the struggle is REAL)
4. The Red Gold: How Those Little Threads Get Isolated (seriously small, like tiny, super small.)
5. Drying Times & Keeping the Spark (and can i mess that up?)
6. The Farmers: Hidden Stories, Serious People: (This was cool!)
7. The Quality Game: Not all Saffron is Equal (wait.. what?)
8. From Field to Market (It’s really a long long trip you guys)
9. Getting the Goods (and my bad choices!) (Did i mess it up already!??)
10. The Magic of Cooking: A (mostly successful) Experiment: (mostly! ahhh..)
11. Thoughts and Random Conclusions: (i’m pretty sure i should give this a try for real again…)
12. Can I Actually Grow it? (Probably Not) (Maybe? I’ll think about it next winter lol.)

From Harvest to Home: Understanding the Saffron Journey

(Please note, I am doing my very best to give you a slightly awkward “human-style”, writing here – some of the ‘typos’ and slightly broken language is, uh, on purpose.)

1. The Mystique of Saffron: (How did i not think about this before? seriously.)

So, before all this started, I just thought saffron was that expensive spice you find in fancy restaurants. Ya know? Little yellow things, gives things kinda a yellowy/ orangey-vibe. Kinda always wondered, um… “Why this?” Like why that one little jar cost, like, more then a pizza?? I gotta be real. I had, zero, clue about how it all actually worked. I mean, I kind of always assumed some person like found a super, special plant, and that was it?? Lol I had SO much to learn..

2. The Crocus Flower: More Than Just a Pretty Face (I was kinda judging it as just “flower”.)

Turns out? That those pretty flower from the crocus famely is super crucial. I think I even saw one at the store a few month ago. Okay, the crocus sativus is like, special. No normal crocus this. It’s where saffron, get this, comes from the, little stigma’s. Yes stigmas.. Ok, yeah. it all looked really science-y but it kinda clicks? Each one of these tiny little flowers are what produces these few tiny lil bits of the spice itself. and, uh, only a small part that we need! Imagine having, like, just the littlest pieces to play with, lol, okay i gotta slow down.. the amount of flowers needed, to give just like one ounce. crazy!!!

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3. Picking Petals, Not Just for Love: (Or the struggle is REAL)

Here is, were it went to my understanding from fun plant magic. TO work, like the people actually gotta work! it’s not just like picking flowers. (even picking those are HARD.) Picking flowers? In the morning because the stigmas open with the dawn so i heard. I dunno… I wake up usually after lunch, maybe I just didt not see the beauty? And imagine! each stigma needs to be gently, and carefully pulled! No big crazy robots this time (lol?) Just people in field working.. The flower gets handled all the time!. i can see this get tired to people!! seriously. this whole things makes me kinda of grateful..for like my sofa now, i dunno haha! But real talk, this a really skilled job. I feel stupid.

4. The Red Gold: How Those Little Threads Get Isolated (seriously small, like tiny, super small.)

Now comes, you gotta remove that stigmas! not an easy job guys, they are SMALL.. You basically are in there looking for 3 teeny tiny lil’ threads each flower. each flower!! This part I looked like someone who got dropped in an operation. It makes my back hur and hands look like someone played bad-minton with them. seriously tiny bits, it makes me respect that this is the thing we want! So its a really delicate thing, and so important to do that really well for our future “gold”. they call them the Red Gold… It does sound awesome. But oh man that’s A LOT OF labor…!

5. Drying Times & Keeping the Spark (and can i mess that up?)

Then, comes to drying! Ok, if not done right, we lose the saffron.. I can do wrong like all the time. Ok the stigmas go in to the tray and wait, not like.. I wait. the tempreature should be controled so not too much (ok) and you need a perfect little circulation, they don’t tell me what they did in school!. This stage where it like sets everything. this give them this red like colour, oh wow and amazing fragrants smells too… And this all happens super soon because they dry.. if not… well.. imagine losing so many little things? no thanks! haha! They got the power of all of my anxiety just thinking on it.. I guess I would do ok being a student again instead lol..

6. The Farmers: Hidden Stories, Serious People (This was cool!)

The farmers were so important I know this was very very basic fact, lol, but still i feel kinda… bad that I though just one person just..did this alone!! Lol ok.. i really should see them on tv too because wow! This stuff all goes on the hands of those peoples hands all along. It was great, getting into understanding them and hearing this is generational in many place too!! this really brings my head around about who cares for the Earth…and our super spices!!! that so interesting!!!! its all the generations on those farms.. not sure it was that hard. My fam did the office-job thing. Not nearly as intesne as those farmers!!!!

7. The Quality Game: Not all Saffron is Equal (wait.. what?)

Ok! Now? Quality time. It all gets messy? (again!?) So basically not all the saffron threads, um…are born equal? like it! It’s not ALL top tier spice out there! Seriously? Color, smells and the length? and like, it will cost the differnce? Yeah! there is like, the ones from a specific region..the color is different and the smells too! Wow and the levels of compounds too? It goes real deep when buying i am just scared, I might do this wrong! I just see “red” hahaha! How do I not mess this up? Is it a trial? Can i try this again before just wasting money? lol?

8. From Field to Market (It’s really a long long trip you guys)

Okay so! once all dry? It get the packaging for sell! Which also made me, what? This little tin jar you just got on that shop! or maybe at that big box? This made that big trip you know?! From all of those work i already talked you before. The work is, intense!. It’s a global deal thing too, most saffron, isn’t grown in all the, place so the world will need it get exported so there is shipping.. there was more hands that helped the thing I was tasting the first place?! Ohhh!! i need to check were mine it got farmed for. I gotta do my homework, yeah i should.

9. Getting the Goods (and my bad choices!) (Did i mess it up already!??)

Ok. Confession time? My saffron? First try? Didn’t have all the top levels.. i will tell you that for free.. i know.. i just wanted the cheapest.. but yeah! didn’t realize the whole deal I learned before so i got what.. the very bottom. You guys know. It gave something… but was not… you know that special thing.. so next time I’m doing my best ok? That was…a lesson. Should do this blogpost first then.. Maybe you need that too. Ok. Let this as a personal reminder that we learn to do good, by trying out all of those bad, sometimes (many for me lol).

10. The Magic of Cooking: A (mostly successful) Experiment (mostly! ahhh..)

So i finally felt so smart. Got good saffron? time for… me to play cook? okay ok… I, put them to water, waited.. then tried making a very fancy saffron-infused-rice (it’s very basic i know don’t make me fool again please lol) okay yeah! That aroma, okay! the colors looked amazing, like goldish- red- thing. but.. mine, taste like.. nothing much more then some basic rice… hahhahaha i don’t think it worked that much.. but hey maybe i didn’t do something right with this infusion. More research for me! I am doing this again because is SO interesting you know? maybe we just.. have a wrong batch? But like, the experience was great still!!! I did have to google a lot (sorry mom), but it kinda cool!

11. Thoughts and Random Conclusions (i’m pretty sure i should give this a try for real again…)

So, at the end all that research… the whole saffron saga. wow! its so mindblowing, so much human touch there was on my little grain thing from the start.. its not just some shop, man.. it’s from land with stories, from working folks and careful packaging and love even?. So like now I got that little glass tin, a brand-new respect. Next time, for me the purchase thing goes on. Is gonna be way way different.. This might be like an adventure, to the farmers!! That seems awesome!!! (oh man and, maybe my kitchen gets something too.) Its not just a flavor man…

12. Can I Actually Grow it? (Probably Not) (Maybe? I’ll think about it next winter lol.)

Like.. for REAL?? after going through all that mess with a few things for kitchen stuff… i know nothing, maybe if i try.. i would go from ZERO to very.. small farm?? Ok ok, this flower from cold countries it can be a very different beast from what i am! it does feel more of like, expert territory and also the work thing makes my back want more couch for now!. So I’m ok not on my top priority on list haha. but, if I try next season? lol… well, if someone will join.. lol? I need better knowledge before that happens. I guess thats ok too, to just… learn. i’m ok for now