Saffron

Came back with half a kilo from Morocco, divied up between the family

Growing commercially? Isn't it from a particular crocus?

 

Quote from http://www.saffronbulbs.com/culture.htm

"Even if saffron is an expensive spice known as red gold, growing it is however very simple and accessible to anyone. Its price depends on the intense labour needed to harvest it, not because it is difficult to grow."

 

Also might be of interest -

http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/13/08/2014/146127/farmer-revives-lost-art-of-saffron-growing.htm

This chap stocks his saffron in Fortnum & Mason and Partridges of Piccadilly!

You may also want to peruse these -
http://www.norfolksaffron.co.uk/
http://www.britishsaffron.co.uk/

 

Saffron was grown by Monks just up the road from us - just a little bit before my time

I think that the difference in price is partly cost of labour and salesmanship and partly quality. The quality can change depending on growing conditions but most laymen are unlikely to know the difference. Apparently the soil of S.E. England is ideal for growing it.

You can get cheap imports from Spain.

 

Is this for yourself in cooking Zigs or a commercial enterprise to make money in your new plot?

It sounds interesting either way. There are some mentions on the web about growing commercially in the UK, none of them say how much acreage you need to make it viable. I recall seeing a programme on the telly years ago about saffron growing in Morocco, the crocuses were very sparsely planted over a very large area (most of a mountainside if I recall correctly).

 

It's not straighforward according to this Wiki entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron#Grades_and_ISO_3632_categories

And watch out for the Safranschou code, otherwise you could lose your head:

 

Sounds like it's becoming trendy in the UK Zigs - get in quick before the cost shoots up!