Cultivating Saffron :

Harvesting the beautiful, mauve-colored saffron flowers begins in October and can continue into November.

The flowers are in bloom from 3 to 4 weeks. Every morning at dawn, we carefully pick each bud, nipping it at the base of the flower, filling our wicker baskets, which are then transported to the location where they are pruned.

Each saffron flower is treated separately; we withdraw the three stigmas, which are then cut at the end of the yellow stylus, which is not part of the spice itself. It takes approximately 150 flowers to obtain one gram of dry saffron. Saffron spice loses 80% of its humidity when it is dried. It is known as 'red gold' because of its rarity and price.

The transformation begins when the stigmas are dried at a temperature of 40 to 60° C without allowing them to burn, to allow a uniform dehydration. This well-regulated drying out process enables the spice to be safely preserved for years.

As soon as this moment of dehydration begins, the aroma spreads throughout the transformation rooms and gives off a deliciously intoxicating scent.

Very little of the spice is required to give an extraordinary, pleasant flavor to salted or sweet dishes; use just 4 to 5 pistils of saffron per person.