Saffron flowers in Spain
© Juan-Carlos Munoz/Minden Picture
Saffron in bloom. Saffron in bloom
It’s harvest time for saffron, the precious seasoning that’s mostly grown in Iran, but used in cuisines around the world. Saffron is derived from the saffron crocus, an autumn-flowering plant with purple petals as richly hued as the vivid crimson stigmas (called ‘threads’) in the centre of the bloom. These threads are carefully extracted by hand with tweezers and dried before they’re used for cooking. Each flower comes with just three threads, and it takes a lot of them—roughly 150,000 crocuses will yield just one kilogram of saffron. The entire harvest can last only about a week or two, because that’s the short life of the saffron crocus bloom.
Related Images
Mangrove forest in the Saloum Delta National Park, Senegal
Preparation of Gudi Padwa festival in Mumbai, Maharashtra
Dubai Miracle Garden, United Arab Emirates
A bee dives into an East Indian lotus flower at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC
Adélie penguin in Graham Passage, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica
Formal Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
Channels of the Rio Tinto in Spain
Bing Today Images
Lake Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Nov 06, 2023
Dakshineswar Kali temple at night
Nov 06, 2018
