Saffron is a flavorful spice largely grown thousands of miles away in the Middle East. But that isn’t stopping a UVM researcher from testing the viability of growing saffron right here in Vermont.
Dr. Margaret Skinner, a research professor at the UVM Entomology Research Lab, talked to Vermont Public Radio about whether saffron can be grown in high tunnels in Vermont.
Photo by Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist
Skinner and her team are currently in their second year of research. With the protection of the high tunnel, Skinner tells VPR that the quirks of saffron’s growing and harvesting season could fit in perfectly as a shoulder crop for Vermont farmers.
Skinner has been working on the project with UVM post-doctorate student, Arash Ghalehgolabbehbahani, who is from Iran.
“The organic material in Vermont soil is 10 times more than we have in Iran,” Arash tells VPR. “And this fact helps saffron a lot for having better yield compared to my country, compared to Spain, Italy or some other producing regions.”
