Cultivation

Saffron grows optimally in hot, dry, semi-arid climates where it rains a lot at the beginning of the gestation cycle, for these reasons, Kashmir is optimally situated for growing and cultivating saffron.

Saffron grows best with a lot of direct sunlight and does not do well in shady conditions. The crocus also grows best in clay like soil that is rich in organic content.

The gestation period for a typical saffron flower is around 5 months. At the end of the cycle the purple saffron flower will bloom or open up and the farmer will then have a maximum of 48 hours to pick the plant. After this time period the flower and the valuable stigma inside will start to wilt and lose aroma.

After the saffron crop is picked it is then transferred to an area where the crimson stigmas are removed from the flower. The stigmas are then put in large baskets and left to dry over a period of 1 month. Sometimes the stigmas are placed on an oven to roast at very low heat, which excelerates the drying process.

Typicaly saffron stigmas are harvested once or in the rare case, twice a year. A saffron bulb or crom, which is the part of the flower that lies underneath the soil and is responsible for producing flowers, produces about five to six flowers in the course of its lifetime.