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The Wild Asparagus Hunters are Out and About

It´s that time of year. Cars parked in odd places, the solitary person - usually a man, popping up above a bank or from behind an olive tree. The hunters of the wild aparagus are here. The plentiful rain scattered with a day or two of sunshine has brought them out in droves. Some have their route, others instinctively know where to go. They appear, walking back to their cars, with a huge bundle of foot long green spears of asparagus. And off they go, probably not to be seen for another year - or another week if the rain continues. No matter how hard the shoots try and hide the older men hunt them down with stick in hand, to fob off the spiky old growth, and uncover the tender new stems of wild asparagus. Everyone has their favourite way of cooking them but the most common seems to be in a Tortilla - the thick Spanish potato omelette to which you can add anything that comes to hand - or is hunted down. My one or two shorter stem finds don´t come close to the experienced hunters catch. I...

Saffron Harvest

A little late this year my saffron harvest is minimal. Not only has summer gone on and on with little rain but my garden has been rotavated. I´d carefully dug up, or so I thought, the saffron crocus bulbs I had planted alongside my stepping stone path.

Expecting no harvest at all this year as the bulbs are still waiting to be replanted, imagine my surprise when up some popped one by one.

Saffron Crocus
Saffron Crocus - crocus sativus


The usual commercial way of harvesting the stamens is to pick the whole flower, then remove the stamen and throwing the flower away. I can´t do that, what a waste. I pick the stamens from the flower while still growing so I´ve got the saffron and can still enjoy the flowers, I ´ve obviously not many! Simple things!

One or two of the bulbs/corms even flowered in the tray I´d put them in without soil or watering them.

Once dry I put them in an empty glass spice jar. My favourite recipe for saffron, other than paella of course, is Lime and Saffron Chicken.



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