Looking out my window, dreaming and looking for inspiration I see a small pot of saffron crocus in my garden. At the moment the pot is full of dark green strappy narrow vertical leaves and I have to wait until mid autumn for this perennial plant to flower.

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus. Crocus sativus

Each flower has a three-pronged style and each prong has a crimson stigma. This is the saffron. They are delicate, thread-like and the colour is a bright orange to red. I have not harvested any of my saffron, as the pale mauve crocus flowers are pretty perfect in the pot.

The commercial harvesting of saffron is necessarily a speedy affair. First they bloom within a period of one or two weeks, and, after blossoming at dawn, the flowers quickly wilt. The flowers are then hand picked daily, and the stamens are plucked out one flower at a time. The price is not unjustified. Apparently it takes approximately 150 flowers to yield one gram of dry saffron threads. No wonder it is the world’s most expensive spice by weight. 

Iran grows 80% of the world’s saffron, followed by Spain (9%), Kashmir (6%) with the balance produced in Greece, Italy and Turkey. Tasmania manages to produce some too.

The Iranian Government last year took control of the saffron market and upped the price, and the rest of the world followed suit. With the price of saffron doubling there has been an increase of fake saffron, made using safflower petal, ground turmeric, dyed corn silk, coconut fibre and even moulded gelatine.

The flavour of saffron is strange and hard to describe. Ian Hemphill from Herbie’s Spices, a fantastic spice shop in Sydney, describes saffron variously as delicate, woody, honey-like, or not dissimilar to oaked wine, with a slightly bitter lingering taste. Herbie’s have a great website with lots of information on spices and their uses (www.herbiesspices.com.au).

There is no substitute for that pinch of real saffron threads, which are used in Janni Kyritsis’ recipe for Saffron Pears from his book Wild Weed Pie (Penguin/Lantern). I have made these pears many times and usually serve them with a homemade vanilla ice cream.

Saffron Pears

2 cups caster sugar

3 cups of water

3 cups fruity white wine

Quarter teaspoon saffron threads

8 pears, peeled, halved and cored

To make the saffron pears, place sugar in a small non-aluminium saucepan with water, and saffron. Bring to the boil and add the pears, then reduce heat, cover the pears in the saucepan with a piece of dampened baking paper and a lid, and cook just below simmering for about 30 minutes or until the pears are tender. Reserve 2 cups of the poaching liquid, leaving pears in remaining liquid to cool. Refrigerate when cool. Boil reserved poaching liquid until reduced to half a cup.