Why not grow your own saffron? It's the most expensive spice of all.

Grow the Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativa) in a sunny spot in your garden—and harvest your own saffron in the fall!

The saffron will be at its best if you harvest it the first day the flowers open.

*  Check your crocuses every morning, and when they open, take a bowl and a pair of garden snips, and cut each bloom at its base, dropping the flowers in the bowl.

*  In your kitchen, set out a dinner plate. Pull the stigmas out of the blooms (with your fingers or using tweezers) and lay them on the plate.

*  You don’t want the stigmas to blow away, so cover them immediately with a paper towel.

*  Dry the stigmas in a dehydrator on low, or between two window screens.

*  Store the dry stigmas in a small jar.

Keep an eye on the other Saffron Crocuses as they open, and capture the rest of the saffron stigmas.

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