A New Year & Observing Saffron Crocuses

Village Farm Team,

Though most of our farming is with crops we know are well-suited for our climate, we like to experiment every now and then to push the proverbial envelope. Saffron crocuses have been one such experiment over the past year as we observe how they fare in our Gulf Coast climate. In the fall of 2017, we made our first saffron harvest but the reddish-orange stigmas were lacking in flavor. This fall our crocuses appeared to be dormant. This is most likely in response to the large amount of precipitation we’ve received as they prefer well-drained soil. Our crocuses just started producing leaves over the past few weeks so it’s possible there will be a winter saffron harvest. We’ll make sure to keep you updated!

Have you made it out to our Farmers Market yet? Each week for the next month we’ll be raffling off a basket of goods from our vendors. Every purchase made at the market with our vendors earns you a raffle ticket. You’ll have to keep an eye out for the market e-mail to see what will be in this week’s basket but last weekend it included a $20 Harlem Road Barbeque gift certificate! You can catch us at the market every Saturday from 8am-12pm.

As we find ourselves on the first day of a brand new year, we can’t help but admire the agriculture heritage present in traditional New Year’s Day dishes. In the American South, Hoppin’ John or black-eyed-peas are consumed along with cooked collard greens and cornbread to symbolize wealth and prosperity. In Japan, buckwheat soba noodles are traditional fare and are eaten with the intention of bringing longevity and prosperity for the year ahead. And in Italy, a stew of pork sausage and lentils is common as the lentils resemble coins (and thus prosperity) for the New Year. No matter what you find yourself eating on the first day of the year, we encourage you to take a moment to offer up some gratitude to the farmers that made it happen.