Why Saffron is known as costlier Spice?!
Answers:
Saffron is the most expensive because it is actually the stamen from flowers that have to be carefully plucked out of the flower by hand. The process is very labor intensive and thusly, commands a higher price than any other herb or spice
My husband and I raise saffron, which we sell at a farmers' market. Saffron is the most expensive spice because it is labor intensive to cultivate and harvest. Saffron comes from a fall-blooming crocus (crocus sativus). Rain, shine or early snow, the flower must be picked the day it blooms or the quality of saffron will suffer. As you may know, crocus flowers grow close to the ground on a stem usually only 1 to 3 inches tall. Therefore, picking the flowers is time consuming and difficult.
The same day the flowers are picked, the stigmas (female part of the flower) must be removed. The stigma consists of 3 threads 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. Then the stigmas must be dried. (Fresh saffron cannot be used in cooking. It must be dried to impart its unique flavor.) In drying the stigmas, care must be taken not to either scorch them or leave them them too moist. Then the stigmas are stored in an air-tight container away from sunlight.
We sell the saffron from about 90 flowers for $5 (US). Considering the work that goes into producing the saffron--I skipped the part about having to divide and replant by hand the saffron corms (bulbs) every 3 years--it's not a great money making endeavor. If we didn't love growing saffron, we certainly wouldn't do it.
PS We started with just a few dozen saffron corms about 20 years ago and now have at least 50,000 to 60,000. Anyone want some?
American saffron grower
Fur 1 kg of saffron are required approx. 150,000 blossoms. This corresponds to the daily performance of twelve saffron-pickers on about 2,000 m2 of cultivation surface. The huge production expenditure justifies the high price of the saffron..
http://www.vital-safran.de/safran-lexiko…
It tends to be very expensive. It's made from a tiny part of a small flower, and must be collected by hand, dried and ground - this makes it the most expensive spice by weight in the world.
Tom is right. It comes from a crocus, and each flower has three little threads that must be carefully picked by hand. It takes hundreds of flowers to make an ounce of saffron.
it has to be hand picked from the crocus flower so takes a lot of man time and effort!
