Wonderful Saffron

Saffron is a delicious spice that is used in many Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines. It has a distinct bittersweet flavour and a brilliant yellow colour that it adds to dishes that it is used in. It is the most expensive spice, weight for weight being worth more than gold!

The reason that saffron is so expensive is that it is the stamen of a flower that needs to be picked by hand. The stamen is part of the central parts of a flower. 

Namely the area that the pollen is deposited on to fertilise the flower. Each flower only contains three of these stamens that are 1.5 to 2 cm long and a few of millimetres wide. When they are dried they are even smaller and lighter!

Saffron comes from a type of bulb called a crocus, specifically crocus sativus. This type of crocus flowers in the autumn rather than spring like many crocuses. The bulbs are quite small and produce foliage about 8 to twelve cm in height. When buying crocus bulbs for saffron be sure to get the right species. The spring flowering bulbs are poisonous, be sure to get the right ones!

Many people wonder how to grow saffron. Really it is very easy. You can buy the bulbs from many different bulb growers. Just do an internet search to find one local to you. Then just choose a sunny well drained spot and away you go. This site on gardening in your backyard has a great article which goes into detail about how to go about growing saffron.

Using saffron in cooking is very easy. Be sure to either grow your own or buy it from a reputable supplier. Certainly don't buy powdered saffron as this often contains fillers or inferior quality stamens. When using saffron soak it in some warm liquid for 10-15 minutes before using to draw out as much of the flavour as possible. Add the liquid along with the saffron strands to your cooking. As well as using saffron in savory dishes you can incorporate it in to desserts and sweets as well.

Lastly be sure to store your saffron in an airtight jar in a dark place to preserve its flavour for as long as possible. Once you have tried this delicious spice you will want to keep using it again and again to take advantage of its wonderful flavours. So don't be shy, give it a try today.

Matt from CreateYourGoodLife.com For great gardening tips and how to's visit us today.