Growing Saffron in Southern Oregon - Ask Extension
I am a total layman when it comes to plants and biology. A
couple of recent stories in the news about the market for and production
of saffron have...
Knowledgebase
Growing Saffron in Southern Oregon #299007
Asked January 31, 2016, 12:47 PM EST
I am a total layman when it comes to plants and biology. A
couple of recent stories in the news about the market for and production
of saffron have piqued my interest. From my limited research it would
seem that parts of southern Oregon might have similar latitude, climate
and altitude conditions in common with the largest saffron producing
region in the world, Iran. The information says saffron likes hot,
long, dry summers, and mild moderately rainy winters. My big reason for
asking is that it is an extremely high value crop. So, briefly, could
it grow here in Oregon? Has the University done any research in that
area? Not trying to change the world, but agriculture is a very
challenging business. The flexibility to grow a variety of high value
crops could only benefit local growers. Plus, I love saffron, but
rarely use it due to price. Thanks for your consideration. Please
reply if you have time.
Anthony J. Pippel
681 Glenwood Drive
Ashland, Oregon 97520
<personal data hidden>
Jackson County Oregon
Expert Response
Oregon's climate is suited for growing this crop. Saffron is produced from the flower of the plant Crocus sativus. Saffron is high priced because it is very labor intense to produce. The source of saffron is the stigma of the flower. The stigma is separated from the flower by hand. A large numbers of stigmas, must be processed to yield marketable amounts of saffron. One pound of dry saffron requires
50,000 flowers and about an acre of land. The flowers are indeterminate, which means they do not ripen together. This requires hand picking. I am not sure if the flowers could be picked mechanically in a single harvest. The limitation of growing this crop is the labor and that probably why it is grown in the developing world. If it were to be grown here, methods of mechanizing the production would need to be developed. Given the high value, it would probably be grown under irrigation. A more detailed investigation of production practices, yields, marketing, processing and prices would be needed determine the feasibility of local production. This may have been done.
