Spring sunshine and saffron ramblings.

The sun felt warm on my back even though it was still early morning. As I knelt in the soft dirt, my knees chilled from the previous evenings cold temperatures, but with my back to the sun I slowly warmed up from top to bottom. It was mid-week and I was in desperate need of dedicating time to pulling weeds at the farm. This part of spring always challenges my garden-design vs farmer parts of my brain. The farmer in me sees invasive weeds that are crowding out my fruit trees, lavender field and saffron. The garden designer in me sees habitat - bright little orange and yellow flowers of oxalis and mustard that I have been missing since last spring. A glittering, cheery spring display that when you walk by smells and feels incredible. Sweet wafts of floral fragrance adds that hint of scent when you walk up and down the driveway of the farm - and like it or not, these weeds provide much needed food for insects and birds. 

But habitat be damned because I draw the line when my saffron is being suffocated. With my earl grey tea officially cold and unappealing, I set in on the task to weed. By hand. A whole field. 

 Saffron is an uncommon crop to grow here in California, although it's noted medicinal benefits are piquing the interest in scientists and farmers alike. With more and more research emerging, the health and wellness industry has been producing various supplements, teas, and skincare products. Back in 2014 or so, I took an interest in saffron from reading about it's medicinal benefits in the American Botanical Council journal. Among cognitive benefits, saffron shows promise in aiding gut repair, including digestion and other facets of the intestinal tract - which relates to mood improvement and depression relief. 

For our purposes on the farm, our saffron crop has been used for our skincare line - primarily our organic botanical facial oil, Higher Ground. In our workshop in downtown Half Moon Bay, we make each facial serum by hand, adding one red saffron thread (or stigma) to each bottle, allowing the plant material to soak into the oils. The result is a lovely improvement for skin of all types, especially when combined with our honey cleanser and rose toner.  

Mostly, I love that every bottle we ship out has a bit of my farm inside waiting for you to try. If you end up trying a bottle, let me know if you see the saffron inside... I'll most likely be answering your emails (or DMs) with dirty hands, in the field. 

Photography by ORENDA RANDUCH

Location Wildflower Farms in Half Moon Bay