Saffron in bloom Nov 6, 2019

Saffron in bloom

It"s harvest time for saffron, the precious seasoning that"s mostly grown in Iran, but used in cuisines around the world. Saffron is derived from the saffron crocus, an autumn-flowering plant with purple petals as richly hued as the vivid crimson stigmas (called "threads") in the center of the bloom. These threads are carefully extracted by hand with tweezers and dried before they"re used for cooking. Each flower comes with just three threads, and it takes a lot of them—roughly 75,000 crocuses will yield just one pound of saffron. The entire harvest can last only about a week or two, because that"s the short life of the saffron crocus bloom.

© Juan-Carlos Munoz/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

Nov 6, 2018A truly American monument
Nov 6, 2020Life in the slow lane
Nov 6, 2021World Numbat Day
Nov 6, 2022New York City Marathon
Nov 6, 2023Lake Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Nov 6, 2024Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington
Nov 6, 2025Celebrating Yi Peng

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 13, 2025Happy Holi!
Oct 27, 2019A festival of lights in India
Mar 28, 2018Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton, Utah
Apr 30, 2023International Jazz Day
Jan 22, 2020A horse of many colors
Dec 18, 2020A towering view of the Pale Mountains
Jul 14, 2018Does this shark have an Irish accent?
May 9, 2023A castle fit for a count
Aug 29, 2024Castellfollit de la Roca, Catalonia, Spain
Dec 7, 2023National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Apr 27, 2021Design for Each and All
Sep 23, 2024Sea Otter Awareness Week
Nov 19, 2025Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary
Jun 25, 2025Glastonbury Festival begins
Jan 13, 2019On the hunt
Jun 30, 2023Brown bears in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Jan 12, 2020The Zugspitze: Germany s highest point
Nov 23, 2020Autumn comes to Old Town
Jul 6, 2022Kissing Day
Aug 10, 2019Seville celebrates first world tour
May 21, 2023Pont dArcole over the Seine river, Paris, France
Jan 31, 2025Happy International Zebra Day!
Oct 30, 2019Cross this bridge if you dare
Jan 28, 2018Winter scenery near Kuhmo, Finland
Apr 21, 2022First day of summer
Feb 20, 2026Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California
Nov 25, 2021Happy Thanksgiving
Mar 26, 2023Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
Oct 19, 2022Wartburg Castle overlooking Thuringian Forest in Germany
May 3, 2025Happy International Astronomy Day!