Flower of the Gods

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.