The bed of saffron I planted at the beginning of October is already blooming. I wasn’t expecting any blossoms until next fall. The three crimson stigmas are brilliant. A number of other saffron are setting flower buds, so I may be able to collect enough saffron to use early next year.

Initially, I was thinking of plucking these stigmas to flavor something this evening, but then I read that saffron stigmas have no flavor when they are picked fresh. They need to dry for two months before they get their full flavor.