Growing Saffron at My Farm
I no longer have to travel to exotic countries to get the vivid crimson-colored spice called saffron - we're growing it right here at my Bedford, New York farm.
I hope you saw my Instagram post @MarthaStewart48 earlier this week when I shared an image of a jar of harvested saffron. My friend, Hannah Milman, planted thousands of saffron corms in various gardens around the property and many of them are flowering right now. It is all part of her New York Saffron Project. Saffron, Crocus sativus, is a perennial fall-blooming corm that is grown extensively in southeastern Asia and parts of the Mediterranean region. It is planted in late summer and then harvested about eight weeks later from late October to early November. It's so exciting to see these flowers develop.
Enjoy these photos.
-
- In mid September, Hannah brought boxes filled with beautiful saffron corms to my farm to plant. Saffron is a highly prized spice used for both sweet and savory dishes, most notably Italian risotto, Spanish paella, and many Iranian and Asian recipes.
-
- Here is a closer look at one of the corms. The compact corms are small, brown globules that can measure as large as two-inches in diameter, have a flat base, and are shrouded in a dense mat of parallel fibers referred to as the “corm tunic”.
-
- On a sunny, warm day, Hannah prepared all her tools for planting – a hand cultivating fork, a dibber, which is a pointed wooden stick for making holes in the ground so that seeds, seedlings or small bulbs can be planted, a pair of gloves, and a ruler.
-
- With more than two-thousand corms to plant, she selected a variety of beds. Here she is planting in a bed by my pear tree grove across from my long and winding clematis pergola. Saffron crocuses are sun-worshipping plants so they love to be planted in dry open areas rather than in the shade. They do best with at least six hours of direct sunlight a day and well-drained soil.
-
- She also planted corms under this allee along the carriage road through my lower hay fields. This allee is planted with London planes and smoke bushes.
-
- Another spot was under my espaliered ‘Gravenstein’ apples by the carriage road in front of my Winter House.
-
- Here, she placed the corms about four inches apart. Do you know the difference between a corm and a bulb? Both corms and bulbs are parts of the plant that store food to help it grow and bloom. A bulb is a plant stem and leaf that grows underground in layers. A tiny version of the flower is at the center of the bulb. Tulips, lilies, iris, daffodils and onions are examples of bulbs. A corm is an underground stem that serves as the base for the flower stem and is solid, not layered.
-
- Using the dibber, Hannah creates a hole at least four to six inches deep. There are already many other spring-blooming bulbs planted here, so she is very careful when planting the saffron.
-
- In general, holes should be three times deeper than the length of the corm or bulb. For planting smaller corms like these, the dibber is the prefect tool – fast and efficient.
-
- And one by one, each corm is carefully placed in a hole, with the pointed end faced up, or root end faced down. This is very important, so the plant grows properly. When purchasing bulbs and corms, always look for those that are plump and firm, and avoid those that are soft.
-
- Here is the saffron corm just at the top of the hole – see how it is faced up.
-
- Hannah gently pushes the corm into the hole.
-
- And then backfills the hole to completely bury the corm.
-
- Once all the corms are planted, the area is raked, so it looks neat and tidy. This is also a good time to check that every corm is in the ground – we don’t want to miss a single one.
-
- By the third week of October, the saffron sprouts are visible in all the garden beds. They emerge with thin, straight, and blade-like green foliage leaves, which expand after the flowers have opened.
-
- And then the lilac-colored flower appears. The blooms last about three weeks.
-
- Here they are opened along the allee of London planes.
-
- The bright red-orange threads of saffron are actually the stigmas, or female portion, of the saffron crocus flowers. Three stigmas are borne in the center of each cup-shaped bloom. The best time to harvest the stigmas is mid-morning on a sunny day when the flowers have fully opened and are still fresh. The stigmas on this flower are ready to harvest.
-
- Saffron can also be planted in containers, especially in areas where squirrels, gophers, mice, or voles are a problem. Here, we planted saffron in pots and kept them in the small hoop house next to my main greenhouse.
-
- On harvesting day, Hannah plucked the blooms and placed them gently in a basket. And they smell so wonderful – a sweet, honey-like fragrance. The leaves of the saffron will persist for eight to 12 weeks, then wither and vanish, leaving no trace of the corms below until the flowers appear again next fall.
-
- Once harvested, they are allowed to dry. It takes hundreds of flowers to produce a commercially useful amount, and lots of labor, which explains why saffron has long been the world’s most costly spice by weight.
-
- Once dried, they can be stored in a jar. With each successive year, the corms will multiply, the size of the planting will increase, and we will be able to harvest more of the spicy stigmas. I can’t wait to use them in cooking. Hannah’s New York Saffron Project is a huge success. Please go to her Instagram page @hannahcmilman to see more wonderful photos and Stories. Hannah is also taking pre-orders for next year – corms and saffron. Just email her at hannahcmilman@gmail.com.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
