Saffron is a highly prized spice and few people are aware of the fact that in Salento, saffron seeds found fertile ground.
Before it was mistakenly considered a weed, saffron grew wild.
Historical sources, which we have already told you about in our previous article“Salento, land of saffron, ” even tell of an annual market held in Nardò-Galatone around 1400.
So it must be assumed that the saffron plant and seeds, were extraordinarily widespread in the heart of Salento.
Having said that, it is good to give two pieces of information in order to avoid confusing Crocus Sativus, the edible saffron, with Colchicum Autumnale commonly known as poisonous or “bastard” saffron, Arsenicum Vegetale or Colchicum.
How to distinguish edible saffron from Colchicum
The flowers are similar, their color can be deceptive as unfortunately happened to a married couple in Trentino who harvested Colchicum believing it to be crocus instead and thus prepared a deadly risotto.
Saffron bastard has arsenic in its DNA so, pay close attention to your desire to “do it yourself,” just as we invite you to go mushrooming with an expert.
Well, let’s see the main differences, also because our desire is to write for you intelligible and easy-to-understand texts, not botanical treatises, since we are by no means experts in the subject.
Similar flowers, different nutrients: pay attention, these are the differences between crocus sativus and bastard saffron
- If you are in mountain areas and find beautiful purple flowers, do not pick it.
Edible saffron does not grow in the mountains so you are dealing with one of the six deadly species of Colchicum. - If you come across, during your outdoor excursions, between August and September, you are dealing with poisonous saffron; true saffron blooms and opens its maximum fragrance, the last week of October and the first half of November. This is the harvest time for crocus sativus or edible saffron.
- Colchicum has six stamens or stigmas, while saffron has only three stamens, the reproductive organs of this fragrant and colorful spice. Pay attention to this peculiarity because, although the color is the same, colchicum has a flavor that could be deadly to you, if not intoxicating.
When to plant Croco Sativo: how to grow it and especially when to plant saffron seeds
The cultivation of saffron begins with the preparation of the soil and the simultaneous extraction of the bulbs. This usually takes place between May and August. The video included in this article does not consider this step because it was filmed at the time the planting took place.
We witnessed the moment of planting the beautiful and fascinating Saffron seeds.
Truly intense and exciting moment. Our trusted farmer, Emanuele Spedicato, told Foodismo a beautiful story. We were amazed.
The care for the soil and attention to the saffron bulbs is utmost.
Consider that we are talking to you about organic cultivation, so everything is done entirely by hand, and the only “tools” we have seen used are hands and a small raspafango.
That said, you have to prepare the soil, creating natural drainage channels for rainwater to run off. These small mounds of sparkling red soil, opened by hand, will accommodate the saffron seeds or bulbs.
Once they are buried, our farmer, with the help of the raspafango, similar to a small hoe, covers the seeds with soil.
Consider that this operation is delicate, it is replicated row by row, meter by meter.
The cost of saffron in stigmas is also high because we manually engage in all these operations that are not at all simple.
The bulbs turn into beautiful flowers: when the saffron harvest takes place
The saffron harvest occurs once a year and, for this reason, is a unique and magical moment. If you have the opportunity to be able to witness it, you will be enraptured by the colorful rows and red stigmas contained in the beautiful purple flowers.
The harvesting of the flowers must be done quickly. The farmer must be extra careful and check the fields, daily because some bulbs will give rise to the flower before the others.
There is no mathematical precision in harvest dates, for this noble crop.
One must be able to listen to Nature and above all love her.
Generally, the harvest takes place in a period between the last week of October and the first decade of November.
Saffron flowers are very delicate.They must be picked in a very short time, placed in a wicker basket, and then each individual stamen must be detached from the flower by hand.
For the friends of Foodismo, we have created ad hoc, a free experience.
If you would like to experience the moment of saffron harvesting, we suggest that you register on our website. By doing so, you will become a farmer for a day.
That said, all that remains is for us to wish you a good harvest and a good experience.
