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Road Trip - Andalucia to Extremadura to Portugal and Back

With limited time off and so many tempting Spanish cities to visit, as well as Portugal to cross into, we headed north-west from home in Andalucia over the regional border into Extremadura, over the country border and back in time an hour into Portugal and vice versa. A long weekend turned into 4 nights, driving, city exploring, monument pounding and eating.  Empty Extremadura Road Heading westwards from the olive-covered province of Jaén to the rolling brown fields towards Córdoba city, then an abrupt north-wards turn and we´re in the pastureland of northern Córdoba province. After an excellent lunch, a lucky find - Café Español in Villanueva del Rey, a green road sign tells  us we´ve entered the region of  Extremadura, the flatlands and vast, sweeping empty road views continue. Extremadura Weetabix-coloured hay bales in towers, scattered like fallen Jenga blocks, cylindrical ones and squat shapes like ancient churches dot the countryside. The road straight and flat with...
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Saffron Harvest

A little late this year my saffron harvest is minimal. Not only has summer gone on and on with little rain but my garden has been rotavated. I´d carefully dug up, or so I thought, the saffron crocus bulbs I had planted alongside my stepping stone path.

Expecting no harvest at all this year as the bulbs are still waiting to be replanted, imagine my surprise when up some popped one by one.

Saffron Crocus
Saffron Crocus - crocus sativus


The usual commercial way of harvesting the stamens is to pick the whole flower, then remove the stamen and throwing the flower away. I can´t do that, what a waste. I pick the stamens from the flower while still growing so I´ve got the saffron and can still enjoy the flowers, I ´ve obviously not many! Simple things!

One or two of the bulbs/corms even flowered in the tray I´d put them in without soil or watering them.

Once dry I put them in an empty glass spice jar. My favourite recipe for saffron, other than paella of course, is Lime and Saffron Chicken.



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