{"id":13409,"date":"2021-05-15T02:54:07","date_gmt":"2021-05-15T06:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/?p=13409"},"modified":"2021-05-15T16:22:19","modified_gmt":"2021-05-15T20:22:19","slug":"saffron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/saffron\/","title":{"rendered":"Saffron: How To Grow And Care Of The Red Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saffron is not only a special spice because of its enormous prices. Only the stylus of the flowers has a bitter and spicy aroma. Saffron ( Crocus sativus<\/em> ) belongs to the Iris family<\/em> (Iridaceae). With an average price of around $ 10 to $ 15 – per gram! – it is the most expensive spice in the world. For comparison: the price of one gram of gold fluctuates around $ 35. Since saffron is a type of crocus, it has a tuber – and not an onion, as is often wrongly assumed. The tuber sprouts again year after year.<\/p>\n

Saffron is one of the autumn crocuses, as it only sprouts and blooms in the second half of the year. Some of its relatives, who usher in spring in our gardens, also differ from saffron by their significantly shorter stigmas. In the case of the noble spice from the Aegean Sea, these are strikingly red in color and length. They are also the only organ in saffron that has the characteristic bitter and spicy taste and fragrance. Each of the blue-purple flowers forms three such precious stigmas.<\/p>\n

The noble crocus originated from a mutation of a related species that has significantly shorter scars. The plant, which is no more than 15 cm tall, has a triple set of chromosomes due to the mutation. As a result, saffron cannot produce pollen and is sterile. The reproduction can only take place via the so-called vegetative route. The largest growing areas are inconsistently warmer regions on the Mediterranean Sea and in the Middle East, but even here you can grow saffron in your own garden with a little skill.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Growing saffron<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>
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