What Is The World's Most Expensive Spice & WHY Reprinted from Herbal Lore & Legend - Click to sign up for free weekly herbal tips.

Saffron - Crocus sativus - The World's Most Expensive Spice Saffron is the world's most expensive spice, last check it was going around $3,000 per pound. You can pick the precious bright orange stigmas from your own garden each fall, dry them on absorbent paper in a dark place, and store in a tightly-sealed, dark container away from heat and light. Plant the corms in the fall in a well-marked spot in full sun and soil that drains well, 4 " deep and 4-6" apart. Once established the corms can be lifted and divided every few years to increase the harvest. One of the reasons it is so expensive is you have a limited time the crocus is open to remove the pestels/stigmas inside the flower, which is the saffron. In Europe a mass of people descend upon the crocus fields early a.m. with tweezers to pluck the delicate threads before the flower can close. Very labor intensive. In cooking with saffron, use only a pinch at a time and follow recipe instructions exactly, as a little is good but lots can be dreadful. Now go plant and make a fortune!! Herbally, Herbanite Bob p o box 1289, Wake Forest, NC 27588, USA