I haven't, but you caught my curiosity. I dug this info up. . .

Here is a link that might be useful: yummy!

Thanks for the link. I think I'll take the plunge and invest in the saffron crocus. The flavor is unlike anything else and it dosen't sound too finicky to grow. I live on the edge of the wilds here in NC and divas don't last too long in my yard.

I looked up your webpage. Amazing - I only wish I had such talent ( and youth). Seriously impressed.

Thanks Carolina! I totally wore myself out this weekend gardening. My husband and I are in a hurry to get the garden established because I am rapidly becoming too encumbered by pregnancy to continue with the hard work. I expect I won't have a lot of gardening time or energy over the next few years. :)

Oh, you inspired me, by the way. I bought 50 saffron crocus bulbs from the place I linked to above. They sound amazingly easy to grow!

I've been growing saffron crocus for years although I've never harvested them. I have read that it takes a very large number of flowers to get a useable amount of the spice. I grow them because I like the flowers in the fall.

You can harvest 3 stamen per flower...

It takes about 9-12 stamen (based upon your personal tastes) to impart a wonderful color and flavor (when properly steeped) to 2 cups of uncooked rice.

For two cups of uncooked rice:

Steep the saffron in 1/2 cup boiling water.

In a skillet that can be tightly covered, melt butter
Stir in rice and a pinch of salt.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice begins to absorb the butter and becomes opaque, but do _-not-_ brown the rice.

Quickly pour in the remaining 3 1/2 cups boiling water along with the saffron water. give it a light stir to break up any clumps and cover immediately, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed.

Do _-not-_ remove the lid while the rice is cooking, or for 10 minutes AFTER the rice is finished.

Mmm, thanks for the recipe, sandsquid!

wvbetsy, considering that I never have cooked with saffron to begin with, any amount that I could get from my own garden would be a usable amount. :)

Hi i order this month, some 50 LOL bulb off saffron from bloomingbulb.com they're being ship this fall i can't wait, Im so exciting. But have no idea how to grow them all I get it's hard to grow in my zone and it need winter? there being grown on iran..

The best information I can find says that saffron crocus will be hardy in zones 6-9. So you should be okay. Do you grow any other herbs, spices, or edibles? It is very exciting and satisfying to cook with what you have personally grown and it always tastes better! Good luck.

I have thousands of these. The key is they can't stay warm and wet or they'll rot and die. If you have a wet summer they should be either protected or on a hillside with good drainage. Plant them a foot apart and when they get crowded in a few years, wait till they go dormant and carefully dig them up and replant them a foot apart.

The flowers smell great and last a few days in water.

But be cautious - you use the red stigmas, not the yellow stamens. All parts are poisonous, but the red stigmas you'd have to eat a lot of to cause any harm. You have to dry the red stigmas before use. That helps break down a bitter chemical. Then crush and steep ~20 min before using. It looks best in milk - you see the yellow color and it looks very dramatic. Once the leaves come out they need water or they wont flower. I've never found info on nutrient requirements so I can't help you with that.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's some pictures