I originally planned to plant a few bulbs of saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) into my hydroponic setups, but also placed the other half or so into soil outside.

One of the bulbs, and probably the only one this year, started flowering just a few weeks after planting them.

Funnily, it started blooming just when the very first snow hit!

I harvested the only three strands, which is typical, and ate one right away. It tasted like nothing. Maybe they need drying and curing first, I don't know 🤷

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[–] Glent@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This is so rad. Where does one get saffron bulbs? What time of year to plant?

[–] Guenther_Amanita 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I bought them at my local garden center here in Germany, but you can get them easily online (especially Amazon) too.

Just make sure they are labeled specifically as saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) and not ornamental crocus.

From what I've heard, they are multiplying themselves passively and without much needed care, so I would recommend you to check out your local community of hobby gardeners first, maybe they will share some of theirs ;)

It is recommended to plant them at around August to October. I planted them a bit too late probably, maybe that's why almost no others have bloomed yet.

[–] perviouslyiner@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

how many thousand do you need to harvest? just saw a video on the process in Kashmir

[–] Guenther_Amanita 7 points 2 weeks ago

Not that many actually! (And a lot more than one might believe?)

It's said that you need around 100-150 flowers for one gram of spice.

But one gram is much more than one might expect. A few strands per dish are enough for some dishes.

But the cool thing about this project is that saffron is just there! It grows passively in the shadow of others, like my berries, doesn't need much nutrients, and blooms when everything else is already dead.

I also have a few ones in my houseplants pots, e.g. in my citrus tree.

[–] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

I am not a good gardener. Saffron and potatoes grow and multiply themselves continuously without my intervention. I would recommend any new gardener start here for a confidence boost. And they are pretty. And home-grown saffron is a gift that never fails to impress. Just do it.