Saffron - Centre Stage
by Connie Handscomb
Title
Saffron - Centre Stage
Artist
Connie Handscomb
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
♥ Heartfelt Gratitude to FAA Groups for featuring this image :
The Artistic Forager
Visions Of Spring
FAA Featured Images
Nature Photography
__________________________
Botanical Name = Crocus [fr. Greek "Krokos"]
Family = Iridaceae
The crocus is old. On the island of Santorini, in the ruins of Akrotiri, wall paintings were found showing the harvest of crocus stamens that date back to c. 1600 BCE [the Bronze Age].
The crocuses from which saffron [fr. the Arabic za'faran] comes are pale purple in colour. It has been claimed that, ounce for ounce, saffron is more valuable than gold: 1 ounce of saffron requires 4,000 stigmas [or 75,000 blossoms - 225,000 stigmas, harvested by hand - to produce a single pound [.05kg]. It certainly was a valuable commodity when the Black Death swept across Europe in the 14th century, and its demand as a medicine depleted its supplies. Masks stuffed with medicinal spices, such as saffron, were worn during the plague, and as saffron became scarce, hostilities arose between countries resulting in The Saffron War of 1374.
While we know it best as a food flavor enhancer, saffron [fr Crocus sativus] was used during the Middle Ages in illuminated manuscripts as an imitation gold leaf, though rarely, due to its cost. And yes, it was used as a food flavoring then too .... by the rich families. Its flavour has been described as bittersweet: sweet, pungent, and earthy. The Romans used it to clear the air. Alexander the Great is said to have had saffron baths to ease his wounds. Culpeper called it an 'herb of the sun, and of the Lion' as it was used to strengthen the heart [10 grains given as a medicine]. It has been used to aid digestion, reduce high blood pressure, and stimulate circulation.
The plant itself has both male and female parts, which enables it to easily reproduce when in flower.
Currently crops are grown in Kashmir, Spain and Afghanistan.
Sources:
100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names [Diana Wells]
Fifty Plants That Changed The Course Of History [Bill Laws]
Uploaded
March 11th, 2014
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Comments (17)
Jack Zulli
A beauty of an image, nicely composed;) v/l
Connie Handscomb replied:
Thank you so much, Jack .. appreciate your kindness ; glad you like this :)))
Andrei SKY
magic colors! lf
Connie Handscomb replied:
Andrei ... thank you for seeing the Magic here .. :))) *waving her wand* ... *shaking it .. {she thinks it's stuck .. hmmm.}
Connie Handscomb
Robert, a bit of time away {for me} ; returning to see your feature in FAA Featured Images ... thank you! :)))
Connie Handscomb
Dora, thank you for featuring this image in Visions of Spring! ; happy day to you :)))
Deyanira Harris
Amazing!!!! lfv
Connie Handscomb replied:
here we are again, Deyanira ... You, with your kindness .. Me, thanking you for your kindness ... let's not stop, lol! ;))) {isn't this fun?}
Veikko Suikkanen
LOvely macro shot Connie!
Connie Handscomb replied:
Thanks, Veikko! I'll keep practicing on the stigmas ... I know I can do better; meantime, I sincerely appreciate your kindness :)))
Joy Watson
Beautiful work lv
Connie Handscomb replied:
Happy day to you, Joy ... with my very many thanks; in retrospect, I think I could have done a little more with this one ... ah, c'est la vie; there will be another stamen one day - hope all is well your side :)))
Jean-Pierre Ducondi
Fantastic macro work Connie. The light is amazing. Well done. l/f JP
Connie Handscomb replied:
Jean-Pierre, I didn't see this before, but I see it now & I thank you very much {belatedly, but sincere all the same} :)))
Music of the Heart
So beautiful Connie, Such a fantastic macro work. The purple colors is so majestic, generating a perfect cover/background for the orange beautiful shape. A fantastic work Conneie. Have a wonderful weekend and my best wishes to you!!! L/F
Connie Handscomb replied:
Thank you, Music! ♫ .. this little guy kept me occupied for a while .. trying to capture its shine {without glare, ahem ... } ... ; hope you're well & happy, my friend! :)))
Connie Handscomb
Alexandria, how kind of you to feature this image in The Artistic Forager ... ; I really do appreciate your including this one :)))
Debbie Portwood
Wow! Gorgeous macro! Amazing colors and details! Your work is exquisite!! f/love!! I will look forward to coming again! :D
Connie Handscomb replied:
Hi Debbie! thank you very much ... I was trying hard to show the luminous stems {& I'll still be trying .. until I 'get' it} ... :)))