The North American Center for Saffron Research and Development at the University of Vermont (UVM) is hosting its 5th annual workshop about Saffron production and marketing online on Thursday, March 11 and March 18, 2021. Each live session is from 1:00 – 4:30 pm and a recording will be available to all attendees for reviewing later. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, with a retail price of over $5,000/lb. It is made from the stigmas of a fall-blooming crocus flower (Crocus sativus), and is used as a culinary spice, coloring agent and medicinal herb. Saffron is a high-value crop that could significantly strengthen sustainable agriculture, and preserve the rural working landscapes of North America.
For the past 6 years, UVM scientists have been studying the cultivation of saffron in Vermont. They obtained yields greater than what is reported in traditional saffron-growing areas of Asia and Europe. Hundreds of farmers across the US are growing saffron successfully, and selling it for $25-50 per gram! The emerging North American saffron industry is growing every year, and producers are eager to learn more. Experts from Vermont, Rhode Island, and beyond and growers from Vermont and California will share their knowledge on production. Specialists will speak about production and disease management, and how to dry and then sell the harvest. To learn more about the workshop and to register, go to the UVM saffron website at: https://www.uvm.edu/~saffron/;
or contact Margaret Skinner: Tel: 1-802-656-5440; Email: mskinner@uvm.edu
