I wasn’t too sure what to expect, and had only exchanged a handful of emails with the boss of the lab, prior to making my debut. I could recall waking up with a distinct determination, but sweaty-in palm, I was. The breezy summer day in Burlington, Vermont was one full of bikers, runners, kids chirping outside their houses, and a beautiful lake-view with Appalachia in the backdrop — when one descended the hilly roads interconnecting Vermonters who lived and worked in Burlington. One problem remained. The treacherous algal-blooms, courtesy of runoff from encompassing dairy farms, organizations, and households, made those weary of diving into the cooling waters of Lake Champlain (Baird, 2017). Nonetheless, I casted all these stimulating thoughts and emotions aside, and made my way over to the Entomology lab – home to The North American Center for Saffron Research and Development (saffron lab) – off of Spear St., Burlington, Vermont. I knew nothing of the spice, saffron, but was determined to leave my impact on Dr. Margaret Skinner and Dr. Arash Ghalegolabbehbahani and the Entomology lab as a whole: that is a mentality I have carried, since my spring semester at Champlain College in the undergraduate environmental policy program (EHS division). As it were, where ignorance lies, opportunities to learn persist, which is a conviction reinforced by individuals at the saffron lab who have taught me that integrating saffron production with small, local Vermont farmers may help increase Vermonters’ health, wealth, and wisdom in the coming decades.

Figure 1: A Saffron flower grown in Burlington, Vermont in milk crates (2017).

Saffron is predominately produced in Iran, but the origins of the cormous plant are unknown, although some research sponsors late Crete (Greece) during the Bronze Age, as a likely candidate (Kafi, Koocheki, Rashed, & Nassiri, 2006). Crocus sativus L. is a perennial, asexual-cormous plant that reproduces by means of corm, a bulbous like structure, which when coupled with certain environmental conditions (access to water, light, and nutrients) and certain planting methods (corm density) the plant yields more flowers and corms, but also higher quality parts (i.e. longer stigmas and heavier offspring, ‘baby corms’, or ‘daughter corms’). Figure two shows two mother corms that should have been planted in July and early September, as to produce flower and spice by October and November. Due to the crop’s unique needs, saffron is not water intensive, can withstand a wide range of soils, and semi-arid and arid climates. Moreover, the plant has a long history in folk medicine, and is increasingly being researched by notable organizations for its potential medicinal qualities (Kafi, Koocheki, Rashed, & Nassiri, 2006). According to data from the Saffron lab, “net revenue per sq. ft from saffron at $4.03, compared to $3.51 for tomatoes, and $1.81 for winter greens” could imply an integrative crop for small VT farmers who would like opportunities to cash out on ‘last-minute harvests, once all their staple crops have been sold, and fields lay fallow (Skinner & Ghalehgolabbehbahani, 2018). Luckily for these farmers, the potentials lying in the red-gold spice may just be the sustaining addition few’ desire to help boost the wealth, health, and wisdom of small Vermont farmers!

Figure 2: Two saffron corms: corm on the left is shielded by the natural wrapping, while the one on the left has been peeled. The casing is vital for planting.

Health, wealth, and wisdom happen to be the three sections of Tim Ferriss’s most recent book, Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers, in which he introduces key trends of excellent thinkers and leaders. A reoccurring theme is failure, or rather the replacement paradigm behind failing, which is learning. And that is in part what has made so many of the people Ferriss presents successful – among living a healthy lifestyle, or having money, and/or wisdom to contribute back to others, as well as society. The latter of those characteristics tend to be more context-specific and change between certain people, based on the routines that they entrust their own lives with. Under the canopy of health, Dr. Peter Attia is an outstanding individual who is also a “former ultra-endurance athlete (e.g. swimming races of 25 miles”) and holds an MD from Stanford: as quoted in Ferriss’s book, “if you’re over 40 and don’t smoke, there’s about a 70 to 80% chance you’ll die from one of four diseases: heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, or neurodegenerative disease” (2017). Another impassioning leader, Tony Robbins, is quoted saying “the quality of your life is in the quality of your questions. Questions determine your focus”, which is something I have come to learn is endless (questioning) in the world of the exotic saffron spice (Ferriss, 2017). The question that has captivated the focus at the saffron lab’s heart: what integrative approaches for small and local Vermont farmers makes most sense to ‘cushion’ their wealth, while also increasing Vermonters’ health, through valuable wisdom.

The saffron lab is an unique organization that has helped pioneer saffron interest within the United States, but especially in Vermont. SaffroNet, innovated by the saffron lab, is an integrated network of Saffron growers in the US that is hosted online and Dr. Skinner believes there is just shy of two hundred US saffron growers today (2018). These venturous individuals are looking to diverge away from their mainstream crops and diversify the exotic red-gold spice into their farms and greenhouses. Without the help of the saffron lab, these growers would have little guidance in setting up their farms, ordering the saffron corms, and constantly, as well as consistently emailing other professionals, colleagues, friends, and competitors for information on saffron. The quality of the questions SaffroNet receives from growers can help drive research directly at the saffron lab. The direct communication enables real-time feedback thus, helping direct the research, but also the efficiency in which growers’ questions get answered. “Its always the hard part that creates value” says Seth Godin, as quoted in Ferrisss’s book however; in no other case is this quote more applicable than now, but first . . .

Figure 3: The saffron flower separated into its four parts: (1) golden stamens, second-to left, (2) purple petals, second-to right, and (3) stigma filaments, far right, or the saffron spice itself. The furthest left plates show flowers kept as a whole.

Why is saffron the world’s most expensive spice? The spice itself is no more than a piece of thread from a crocus plant, which has been dehydrated, so how can this be such a valuable good? Labor costs. Saffron requires immense hand labor during the flower-harvesting portion of the growing season. Figure 4 demonstrates the type of separation and organization that needs to take place, prior to selling any saffron. Oh, and by the way, ~75,000 flowers make 1 kilo of dried saffron spice; while one saffron corm will produce anywhere from 1-5 flowers – with usually 3 stigma filaments per flower (Kafi, Koocheki, Rashed, & Nassiri, 2006). To make matters more intensive, the flowers ought to be harvested before sunrise, when they first penetrate the soil horizon because they will begin to welter if left out for more than 1-2 days. Figure 5 shows some saffron that was purchased from CA, but is, as most retail saffron sold intrastate, non-certified or inspected by US organizations thus, the “organic” nature of the good is brought to question.

Figure 4: Dried stigma filaments, or saffron, that was purchased from CA, but imported from Iran. $160 for 10 grams of “organic” saffron (there is no organic certification label), which is a common occurrence in a developed country where spice demand is high, but local production is low.

In attempting to bridge the gaps between small Vermont farmers, and a national or global competitive advantage, the integration of saffron has been nothing short of a humbling learning experience for all stakeholders involved. Unfortunately, the essence of failure can be seen all over SaffroNet today, as small Vermont growers attempt to deal with the fluctuating temperatures and weather patterns that are affecting the viability of their saffron crops. In a time where wisdom is needed to keep small Vermont saffron growers interested in the ‘failing’ spice, many look to Dr. Skinner and Dr. Ghalehgolabbehbahani for advice. The saffron lab itself is a small entity compiled of less than 10 workers, but dedicated they are, and fulfilled they have been. Saffron remains a new crop to Vermont, and the United States, especially when you contrast its’ long history in countries throughout the East, but if half of the promises this crop offers hold water in the coming years, then small Vermont growers are in for a ride. A ride that has already enlightened and educated many, including myself (who was once entirely ignorant of the red-gold spice), while also providing new and creative ways to incentivize diversification of farmers’ crops – helping pave the way towards an increasingly-sustaining lifestyle in humble Vermont.

Figure 5: Saffron struggling to survive in milk crates within the high tunnel at the saffron lab. A vole can be seen in the middle of the two crates, which among the environmental conditions are some of the issues (pests) being faced by Vermont saffron growers.

  References

Baird, J. B. (2017, September 25). Late bloom of cyanobacteria closes Burlington beaches. Retrieved    March 04, 2018.

Ferriss, T. (2017). Tools of titans: the tactics, routines, and habits of billionaires, icons, and world-class performers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Kafi, M., Koocheki, A., Rashed, M., & Nassiri, M. (2006). Saffron (Crocus sativus) production and processing. Enfield, NH: Science.

Skinner, M (2018, February-March) Personal Communication.

Skinner, M., & Ghalehgolabbehbahani, A. (2018, February). The North American Center for Saffron Research and Development. Retrieved March 04, 2018.

Khalil Mirza graduated from Burlington, Vermont’s Champlain College in May 2018 with a degree in Environmental Policy. This essay on his saffron research is the final version of his internship capstone project, supervised by Rob Williams, Ph.D.