Tasmania is perfect for growing saffron because of our climate and rainfall and down south there are a couple of commercial farms. It has the same requirements as most bulbs; full sun, humus rich soil, rainfall in autumn and spring but drier in summer while dormant, frost hardy. A dear friend has kindly given me some saffron crocus bulbs and a couple of short weeks after putting them in....
our first saffron harvest!
Pick the long red stigmas and be quick, do it as soon as the flower opens. The flowers only last a couple of days. I have put in about a dozen bulbs which will multiply over time. Each flower only produces three stigma and it takes about 50-60 flowers to make a tablespoon....
doing the math our crop will only be token but probably suited to our needs. You can see why it is the price it is!
The photo was taken with my phone so not much chop really. The other part of the collage is not saffron related but a bit of a funny I wanted to share before I deleted these photos....
Craig had a day off work because of wet sheep and really put some effort into my coming home from work.
He cooked dinner, set the table beautifully and made a playful menu to go along.
It lifted my spirits, it made me joyful and it made me appreciate the life we have in our ordinary suburban way.
Menu
Poached wild Tasmanian Fallow deer
with
Jubilee front garden deep dug potatoes
and
Foraged New Zealand yams
and
organic Jubilee carrots
and accompanied with
twice cooked pan jus
i was only looking at saffron bulbs in my local nursery a couple of days ago tania..they were $14 each..i'd love to be growing them but not at that price..your menu looks fab..what a treat..x
ReplyDeleteGosh, id be over the moon with an egg on toast and a cup of coffee.
ReplyDeleteoh how sweet is your hubby! I saw the show about growing saffron, I love to grow different things, but they wont grow up here.
ReplyDeleteOooo I would love to have a go at this - Might have to keep my eye out for some bulbs
ReplyDelete