Back to Greek Mythology, when Hermes kills his friend Croco by accident, he turns the dripping blood into the saffron flower. Due to its intense colour it was given an erotic meaning in ancient times. In some cultures like the Chinese one it was used as a sexual stimulant, in Mesopotamy it was considered an aphrodisiac product, in Rome it was sprinkled on the wedding bed to make the marriage fertile and the Phenicians dyed with saffron the sheets that the bride and groom were going to use on their wedding night with the same purpose.
The East is the place where saffron comes from according to the most popular theories. Its growing was widely known in Asia in times before Christ. It was also very appreciated in the Classic Greece because of its aromatic and chromatic properties. It was used as a cure to be able to sleep and to weaken the effects of wine, to perfume baths and as an aphrodisiac product. The Arabs on the other hand used saffron in medicine due to its anesthetic properties. It was the Arab community that brought the growing of saffron with them to Spain in the 8th and 9th centuries. It became a product monopolised by the high andalusian bourgeoisie.
The Arab cuisine was fond of spices, so there were seedbeds of this plant in every kitchen garden, mainly cumins, sweet aniseed and mustard. But no doubt the most important condiment for the muslim economy was saffron, used as compulsory coloring and seasoning in most of the dishes cooked.
This plant has always been quite related to our traditions and our culture, as it is proved by the Saffron Rose Day that takes place every year in Monreal del Campo, or the competition to show who takes the strands out of the flower faster, celebrated in the same town as acts with multitudinous audience. We also have the only monographic museum in the world dedicated to Saffron and its history.
Saffron is a bulbous plant that belongs to the family of the Iridaceas. Its bulb has spherical shape, with a diameter between 2 and 3 centimetres, it is fleshy and covered by brownish membranes.

GROWING OF SAFFRON

The saffron rose (Crocus Sativus) is born in the last days of October, from a bulb, also called onion, that is sown during July, August and September, although the best month to do it is July. This plant doesn’t need a lot of water, so it’s not necessary to water it often. The land has to be well fertilized with manure to sow the bulb. The best one is the bovine, when it’s not possible to get it, the ovine or hen manure can also be used.
Once the manure is spread, it is covered with ground and a furrow of about 15-18cm is dug and the bulbs will be placed there with the tail up, separated between them about 12 cm. When the furrow is sown it will be covered to dig the following one. The planted bulb will blossom for 5 years, the first one will be poorer being the plant so new.
El bulbo sembrado dara su fruto durante 5 años (el primer año da muy poco al ser planta nueva)
The fifth year and during the month of July, the ground will be removed. The reason is that during all this time apart from blossoming the onion multiplies itself and you can obtain between 8 and 10 new bulbs from each one of them. The dirty cob is taken out and then it’s cleaned, a task that we called “esfarfollar”, that is, taking out several layers and the bottom of the bulb to condition it and in this way it will be ready to be planted the following month. A new cycle of 5 years starts then again. All time since the bulb is already clean it will be kept in a cool and dry place until the moment of being re-sown.
El tiempo que la tengamos limpia hasta sembrarlo debera estar en un sitio fresco y seco.
From mid June to mid September we have saffron bulbs ready to be grown in Azafranes Jiloca. If you are interested in growing this plant you can ask us for it between these dates.

RECOLECTION

It usually takes place from mid October, although it depends on the weather: due to humidity or to certain temperatures at that time of the year it can be earlier or later.
The saffron field can show a dense flowering for some days, what in the region we call “florada”, that will last between two and six days. The number of flowers will decrease little by little until this flowering period ends. Normally a saffron field may have flowers for twenty or twenty five days.
During the flowering days it is convenient to keep on collecting the flowers even after the common times, because the flower should be totally moved away from the field: If it is left there it will be too open and then it will be more difficult to collect it. The roses have to be collected one by one and you have to pull just below the place where the stigmas are inserted, using the thumb nail pushing on the index fingertip. Once the flower is cut they are put into a wicker basket, trying to avoid they get squashed once there.

TAKING OUT THE STRANDS FROM THE FLOWER

It consists on separating the stigmas from the rest of the flower. The rose is taken with the left hand and with the thumb nail you have to cut the little tail going out of it below the place where the strands are inserted, holding them with the right hand.
The stigmas have to be cut not too high, not too low because they would be separated in that way and that little tail going out of the flower will be joined to the strands, and this decreases the quality of saffron.

ROASTING THE SAFFRON.

The fresh saffron got will be set in layers of about two centimetres thick on clothes or metallic sieves. They will be put on rustic home fires, the traditional source of heat.
will be soft, this way the saffron won’t lose the aroma and it will be properly dried. Temperature should be around 35ºC, the stigmas will roast but they won’t be burnt or separated at this temperature. This is one of the essential premises for a good trading with saffron, the stigmas should be joined, so proper roasting will reduce the possibilities to buy a falsified product.
The ideal roasting point is that when the stigmas, without being burnt, have lost around 85% or 95% humidity. There is a person in charge of this stage of the process who, basing his/her decision in his/her experience, will stop the process in the precise moment when these conditions are reached.
The most evident external signs are the weight of the strands, that once roasted are reduced to a 20% of its original size, the colour, that changes from a lively intense red to a dark and opaque red colour, its characteristic aroma and the total absence of smoke.
Once dried its weight is reduced more or less to fourth fifths, so five kilograms of fresh saffron results in one roasted.