Saffron

Description

Saffron is a perennial herbaceous plant with a spherical corm that is fleshy and white inside, while on the outside it is covered with reddish-brown membranes. Saffron is an autumn-flowering crocus and looks very similar to the better-known crocuses grown for their graceful spring flowers. The aerial part of saffron, when fully developed, can reach a height of about thirty centimetres.

Leaves

Saffron leaves look like those of all crocuses: thin, linear, like blades of grass, numerous and grey-green in colour.

Flowers

The delicate funnel-shaped flowers, lilac-violet in colour, appear in autumn; for flowering to be generous, the summer weather must have been hot. Each flower, which opens in the sun's rays and closes when it is dark or raining, has three stamens, or stigmas, that protrude beyond the calyx: this peculiarity is useful for distinguishing Crocus sativus, that is saffron itself, from the similar but poisonous Colchicum autumnale.

Exposure

Saffron loves the sun, so its growth is stunted if it is grown in damp, foggy areas; but it does not fear frost.

Propagation

The saffron bulb should be lifted from the ground, when it is dormant, about a year after planting; the lateral bulbs should then be detached and, once cleaned, can be planted out by burying them about a dozen centimetres deep.

Growth

In rich, well-worked soil, and in ideal climatic conditions, saffron grows without any particular problems.

Harvesting

The flowers should be picked in the morning at sunrise, before the calyx opens and the stigmas (that is, the female parts of the flower), which bear the precious powder, can be spoiled.

Storage

Once the flowers have been picked, the stripping must be carried out, that is, the separation of the stigmas from the corollas. The stigmas must then be dried immediately, and then stored in hermetically sealed containers, which must be kept in a dry place.

Properties

IN THE KITCHEN: Saffron is a famous and much sought-after spice, it is an exquisite ingredient in many dishes: it adds flavour, gives colour, it stimulates the appetite and aids digestion.

Beauty

Powdered mustard seeds are used as a deodorant for washing the hands after handling onion, bleach, fish or any substance with a strong and not very pleasant smell; they also serve to remove bad smells from crockery. Those with smelly feet can add mustard seeds to their foot bath.

Health

The stigmas have stimulant properties, tonic, stomachic and emmenagogue, that is, they regulate the menstrual cycle; since they act in minimal doses, of fractions of a gram, they must be used with great caution. The pharmaceutical industry uses saffron above all in the preparation of laudanum, a medicine taken in drops, which has a sedative and painkilling action.

Curiosity

This spice is often subject to adulteration, indeed, to obtain one kilo of saffron about 100,000 flower stigmas must be gathered, and this makes the product decidedly precious. Safflower is therefore sometimes passed off as saffron, also called “zafferanone” or bastard saffron, which, however, has colouring rather than aromatic qualities.