How is Saffron Harvested?

How is Saffron Harvested? In some ways, long grassy leaves that stay green all winter long are the coolest part of the Saffron Crocus. But people are interested in just the Saffron Flower of Saffron crocus. And not even in the whole saffron flower but the Red thread that used to make Saffron spice.

This exclusive spice has its origin in Iran, from where it was brought towards North Africa, North America, and Oceania. Now it is harvested globally, even in Tasmania’s Huon Valley, Australia growing rows of the delicate flowers that create the spice worth more than gold. Although, Kashmir is famous for producing some of the high-quality Saffron in the world.

Saffron Harvest Information

Saffron Crocus is a feeble, somewhat unassuming flower with purple petals. But it is what’s inside those counts – the red, three stigmas. Saffron flowers are plucked, red threads are collected and dried. Thus this becomes what we know as saffron. Saffron is considered the wildflower as they take care of themselves, and their season of flowering is opposite to most of the other flowers, not the spring but the fall. In some of the western organs, saffron flowers and leaves start coming up in late October.

When to Pick Saffron Flower

The quality of saffron threads depends on how soon you get them out of the saffron flower after blooming. As wet weather can bedraggled saffron flowers, but threads inside usually stay fine even after few hours! Once the crops start flaring, the harvesters must work fast to make sure they can pick all in time. Almost all the saffron flowers can b fly away within 1 week of the year. To maintain the quality, it is best to pick the saffron flowers in the morning.

How to Harvest Saffron?

Quality is the key to growing such a precise crop, and the saffron’s taste depends on the rainfall, temperature, and soil. To grow saffron Crocus successfully, there are some requirements. A cool, temperate climate, night-time temperatures of 5 degrees or below through autumn and winter, well-drained soils, and full sun. Corms can stay in the ground from one year to the next, needing only to be dug up and divided every three to four years. Few things add up to the good harvest of Saffron flowers. According to the Gardening Know-how, when it rains before harvest, you will get bigger flyers. Soil fertility plays a vital role in bringing up the high-quality Saffron Crocus.

How to grow more Saffron

Real saffron can cost you $10,000 per kilogram. Why so expensive? Because it is a labour-intensive harvest needs manual work.

Each Saffron flower has 3 stigmas that need to be carefully handpicked and 40 hours of hard manual labor. No machine can do this delicate work of collecting these thin threads. You need to have around 150,000 Saffron flowers to make a gram of saffron spice. Also, these flowers take up a lot of growing space. The harvest of saffron is declining global wide due to climate change and increased global warming. Quality is also compromised, and the crop is becoming less day by day.