I am late joining the party, but here goes:
So glad I took this pic (which was difficult to start with — there was a slight breeze and the camera. just. won’t. focus. on. the.stamen. Oh well.) — all three crocuses were gone the next day — *something* ate them. grrr…. I was hoping to harvest some saffron this year.
Thanks so much for thinking of this, Jen!!
What a luscious photo! That is one of my favorite colors of crocus.
Food question for you, Stef. I always heard that Saffron Crocus was an Autumn bloomer. Can you eat Spring Crocus’ stamens too?
Jen, I honestly don’t know. I think as long as those red thingies show up, you can harvest them and eat them. They must be, since it’s the same species/cultivar.
No hope of that now, at least for mine — gotta wait again for the fall and see what comes up. I almost want to raise these in a cage, this has happened for the last 3-4 years — the last “harvest” (a really small one, from 4 flowers) I had was in fall of 1997 when we were still in MO.
Stef!!!
My oh my, what a beauty! I have a deep craving to do some gardening, but I don’t have a backyard of my own yet. God promised me one, so I know I will have one someday, or maybe very soon.:-) When that time comes, I will be thinking of you!
Love,
Easter:-)
4 stamens would still cost a fortune in the store. I was telling dh how expensive Saffron was, and he didn’t really believe me. So that evening we just happened to be at the grocers so I stopped by the spice aisle to show him. But somebody had put all the little tissue wrapped pieces inside the jars into one jar and waltzed out of the store leaving empty jars for the rest of us to purchase!