Part of the gardening journey is realizing exactly where your food comes from. My 11-year-old mind was blown when I learned that vanilla came from beans, which grew on plants. Paprika turns out to be dried chili peppers. But my favorite realization was that saffron, a revered spice (and rightly so), is just the stigma of crocuses, and that you can buy those crocuses and grow them yourself, and now is the time to put those runners in the ground.

Crocus is a low-growing flower, grown from bulbs, that usually comes up in early spring. But you are looking for Crocus Sativus, which grows and flowers in the fall, not in the spring.

Saffron bulbs are planted in late summer or early fall, two to three inches deep, pointed side up, with three inches between each bulb. The good thing about saffron bulbs is that they don't require much hand work. Plant them in loose, composted soil in full sun and water once after planting. Crocus do not like "wet feet" so well-drained soil is essential.

Six to eight weeks after planting, your crocuses should be blooming. They are a beautiful silvery lilac and will open with a bright orange stigma. It is best to harvest them early in the morning; you can simply pluck the stigmas with your fingers or a pair of tweezers. Let the stigmas dry by placing them on a paper towel and placing them in a dry, airy place, or you can dry them in the oven on the lowest setting for an hour. You should store your saffron in an airtight container.