A precious autumn crocus
The threadlike stigmas, of which is the most valued spice,
Bright orange threads that elevate our sweet dishes or biryani or bakes.
Is it a flower of the gods?
Is it a herb or spice ?
The Persians spread this crocus and reached India
The climate of Kashmir produces an exceptionally bright and aromatic Kashmiri saffron.
Consequently it's the most prized and most expensive ...
Growing mainly in Pulwama district near Srinagar
The corms ( mistaken for bulbs) come up from the ground in August and start flowering in October around the 20th .
The flowers that pop up like bursts of lavender colour, first in smaller numbers and then in a shower burst from Oct 30th to November 7th.
An intense short period of time , the farmer, the workers, and family members working intensively to complete this floral harvest.
Harvested early morning after the dew evaporates,
The window to harvest is three hours from 7 to 10 am..
After which everybody gathers to separate the bright orange stigmas
Three of them are dark orange in colour and three of them yellow in colour ..
Three orange threads dried to give us the precious, pretty, fragrant, delicious Kashmiri saffron
The flower separation continues into the long cold nights of winter
The flowers are dried if it can't be separated immediately
Dried in the autumn, separated in the winter
Supporting the farner through the year
Categorised into two mogra and lacha saffron
The high quality mogra saffron with only the red stigma with the ends snipped off
That our farmer offers
The three yellow bits go into medicines and dyes
The flower petals go into mushroom beds
And the corms stay in the ground
Waiting for the next August to burst into a precious flower
To start the cycle again
From our organic farmer Showkat and his family in Pulwama to your homes, we bring this precious, single origin, organically grown Kashmiri saffron.
No added colours, no dilution of taste or fragrance.
Let us enjoy the best our land and farmers can offer.
Click here to shop Kashmiri Saffron.
