The Hidden Cash Crop: Saffron

January 2, 2025 6:03 PM

The portable crop that renters can take with them: crocus. [gift link] In case you'd like 2025 to be your year of living deliciously, growing your own crocus could be a lovely way to start...

There's a cake recipe which sounds incredible: Gers Ogaily from Kuwait, a fragrant saffron and cardamom cake that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

https://www.iccadubai.ae/stockpot/saffron-cake-with-rose-mahalabia

posted by gusset (20 comments total)

this is so cool - thank for sharing!
posted by lapolla at 7:39 PM on January 2

I’ve considered growing a bit of saffron in my garden for the novelty of it. What I found interesting in the article is some of the farmers were mostly selling corms, not saffron after failing at larger scale.
posted by Bunglegirl at 7:42 PM on January 2 [2 favorites]

....You know, I have been wondering what to do with my community garden plot this year....
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:47 PM on January 2 [2 favorites]

My daughter and I were just talking about saffron recently and whether we could grow it here. She was under the impression that it would only grow in one small part of the world, but it sounds like it actually does just fine in the US, even right here in Vermont! I think I'll try planting some this year. I've never tasted it so I don't even know if I like it, but if I don't it would make a cool gift.
posted by Redstart at 8:56 PM on January 2

Just bear in mind, folks, that processing about 150-200 crocus flowers, by hand, gets you one gram of saffron.
posted by adrienneleigh at 9:54 PM on January 2 [14 favorites]

Yeah, but the article says that's about how much the average American uses per year. Of course maybe that's because most Americans use zero saffron per year. But it looks like a gram is about a tablespoon and recipes seem to call for 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon, so it seems like you could grow a useful amount in a home garden.
posted by Redstart at 10:09 PM on January 2 [2 favorites]

I bought a 5g pack of saffron at one point for ¥4,000 (I have access to Persian saffron due to living in not-the-US) and it lasted me through a couple of years of making paella on a semi-regular basis. It’s not necessarily useful, I think, to think of saffron in terms of how many grams, because you’re generally going to be using quantities measured in “number of threads” in any given recipe.
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:17 PM on January 2 [8 favorites]

Alas, the crocus you are harvesting is someone else's runaway bunny.
posted by aws17576 at 10:17 PM on January 2 [7 favorites]

Yeah, one gram of saffron is ~450 threads. That's quite a bit, i don't disagree! Just bear in mind that the processing-by-hand step is tedious and if you already have an RSI it'll probably make you miserable!
posted by adrienneleigh at 10:37 PM on January 2

I lived out my teens near enough to Saffron Walden [50 mi = 80km N of London, UK] which was until ~1800 the centre of a brisk market growing and selling the reproductive parts of Crocus sativa. In an early example of globalization, the local trade was driven to extinction by cheaper international imports of sketchy quality - frequently adulterated with safflower Carthamus tinctorius an unrelated plant, not even a monocot, that provides the/a colour but a different aroma. Safflower is also [mainly?] growing for its oil.
posted by BobTheScientist at 10:49 PM on January 2 [9 favorites]

So I did this since I was curious; I picked up 25 saffron corms, planted them, and did the whole thing. First year I got two-tenths of a gram of saffron. Second year they sprouted but they didn't bloom _at all_. Maybe they needed some compost?

I didn't have *that many* flowers so the processing wasn't that big a deal. The actual work is a bit tedious to be sure, but you're working on flowers. I got a set of tweezers and just tweezed out each thread in turn. I loved having the scent of saffron and the blooms permeating my house for a few days.

Will likely get some more corms and plant them for next year since it would be neat to have more.

Edit: I didn't do this in an apartment, but it really didn't take a lot of space *at all*. I had a small planter and that was enough room for a good number of bulbs.
posted by caphector at 11:19 PM on January 2 [12 favorites]

Just bear in mind, folks, that processing about 150-200 crocus flowers, by hand, gets you one gram of saffron.
However - the article points out that a gram is about the amount that a saffron-keen family would consume in a year. I could be completely off here - but I could imagine selling something used in such small quantities and which is so firmly tied to the metric system in terms of its sales - sounds like it could be tricky in the USA where it might be seen as "about 1/28th of an ounce". The idea of selling on the corms to those looking to get rich quick - sounds like a better business model.
posted by rongorongo at 12:01 AM on January 3 [2 favorites]

I like it in chermoula, which is a lot like chimichuri, but from the other side of the world. Here's my recipe, I've long forgotten the source, it was probably adapted from a few sources since that's what I tend to do.

Combine and marinate (5 to 20 minutes):
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Meanwhile, toast, then grind:
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander

Pour the lemon mixture into a food processor, sprinkle in a few threads of saffron, crushed between your fingers, then add:
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 1/4 cup olive oil

Process to a chunky slurry. Use as a sauce for topping chicken, fish, or whatever, or asa marinade. I like to cook thin fillets of fish in it and serve with couscous.

I’d never thought to try growing it myself, but I live in a country of champion bulb growers, so I should look into it.
posted by antinomia at 1:40 AM on January 3 [10 favorites]

I've been thinking of this for ages, so this post is fantastic, thanks.
What's been stopping me is the goddam deer, but I'm planning to transform my closed yard into a garden when I receive some money later in the year, so this may be the time! (I need help with machines to do the transformation, can't do it alone).
posted by mumimor at 3:05 AM on January 3 [2 favorites]

I needed to purchase some garlic this year and on the site's webpage they listed corms on sale (half off! 20 for $7!). After reading a few articles (American Meadows article , Martha Stewart's blog ) I decided to grow a whole 20 corms!

A lot of research is being done at University of Vermont. In late October, I planted my "cash crop" in two milk crates I had hanging around. I was late in planting - all my corms sprouted but I have not gotten any flowers (yet). The milk crates are sitting on my unheated porch now (pic).

I don't see this replacing my day job any time soon. Just a quirky thing to grow.
posted by bCat at 4:13 AM on January 3 [3 favorites]

Interesting thing about saffron--it contains a serotonin-friendly compound that can help with maintaining a caloric deficit under stress while trying to cut body fat. I'm typing this on a hospital computer or I would research it more but yeah. It does work a bit for me.
posted by aydeejones at 6:09 AM on January 3

My experience was also that the bulbs bloomed once and then never again. It was fun the one time they did.

A friend of a friend is a saffron farmer in Oregon, and it is hard work just to scrape by.
posted by Just the one swan, actually at 7:57 AM on January 3 [1 favorite]

Just dropping in to say that I'm just mad about saffron, saffron's mad about me...
posted by Gronk at 8:33 AM on January 3 [3 favorites]

> Selling corms instead of harvesting saffron and selling that

The best money in a gold rush is in selling shovels and groceries to the prospectors.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 8:56 AM on January 3 [2 favorites]

I've planted saffron many times, and the voles eat it before I can harvest it.
posted by acrasis at 2:29 PM on January 3 [1 favorite]