A Cosco Purchase ~ Saffron

Hi there everyone....hope you are having a great day. This is actually an old post that I am finally putting up. I went to Cosco with Betty three weeks ago. She has a Cosco membership. I have never been to Cosco.....Sam's is my place of preference. So she said if I see anything I want, she will buy it and I can pay her back. I saw two things. This Saffron and Coconut chips.....I love coconut anything!!!! The Chips are delicious!!

Anyways, I have been looking for Saffron for a long time, but at a reasonable price....which I guess is not too easy to find. But I think I found it here at Cosco's.  I have never cooked with Saffron, but have heard of lot's of Chef's that have....all you need is a few threads to make the taste come alive with a unique flavor and color. I want to make some saffron rice....that will be first on my menu.

So I got this cute little bottle of Saffron =1 gram for $10.50. I love this little bottle...that's what caught my eye and when I realized it was Saffron, it was a must to add to the spice cabinet.

I happened to walk through Walmart....you know, where things are CHEAPER!!! I found Saffron there too! You ready for this??????Their Saffron was $16.98 (retail) for 0.06 oz. IF YOU BOUGHT 1 OZ OF SAFFRON YOU WILL BE SPENDING $283.00 PER OZ.!!!!! Hard to believe, huh????

The Saffron comes from a flower, looks like there are only a few strains per flower....I shall have to type in Saffron to see what the flower is. Well, surprise it is a crocus....maybe I should try and grow my own????

"Saffron, botanical name crocus sativus, is the most expensive spice in the world. Derived from the dried stigmas of the purple saffron crocus, it takes anything from 70,000 to 250,000 flowers to make one pound of saffron. Moreover, the flowers have to be individually hand-picked in the autumn when fully open. Fortunately, only a little needs to be added to a dish to lend it color and aroma; too much makes the food bitter and as the quotation from Culpeper (below) suggests, large quantities of it can be toxic.
Records detailing the use of saffron go back to ancient Egypt and Rome where it was used as a dye, in perfumes, and as a drug, as well as for culinary purposes. It reached China in the 7th century and spread through Europe in the Middle Ages. The town of Saffron Walden, where it was once grown commercially, takes its name from the plant. Now, however, most saffron is imported from Iran (southern Khorason) and Spain which are recognised as producing the best quality, but it can also be found in Egypt, Kashmir, Morocco and Turkey."

So I made some rice and put a few sprigs in it....did not notice a difference in taste...although the rice did turn yellow....so that was fun.

Been working on my gardens, spreading red mulch. A little bit each day. But I have a feeling the weeds are winning the game. Our pile of mulch is getting smaller and we have not even started the front yard yet....oh my, I guess we will have to get some more.

Well, I think I will close this post for tonight before it gets any older. I do have 2 other posts in draft that I need to get going on...sorry you are getting old news.

Have a great evening and keep looking up, better days are coming.
Cheers~Louise

May Day....May Day

Hi everyone...how was your first day of May....it went fast didn't it??? Saw this funny owl on the internet and had to copy and paste. That's me when I finally hit the pillow at 2am. I can hardly keep my eyes open and just want to zonk out for a few hours but then I have to tell myself JP will be home soon and you need to get something for him to eat.....yeah, not much nap time here. I am so glad when the clock is showing it's time to go to bed.

I don't have many plans for this week, except for getting my cards ready for Hospice. So yeah, I will be working on Father's Day cards and Birthday cards this week.

 

I might work outside and pull some weeds, hopefully my eyes do not tear up too much. Tis the season for allergies you know. I think we might buy a load of mulch this year and hopefully get rid of some week growth. I have so many plans in my head, I hope I can keep up with my ideas....if not, there is next year.

 

Time to close, I need to get downstairs and make a few cards. Keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Been Bizzy Here Lately......

Bizzy, bizzy, bizzy!! We got 2 yards of red mulch for $60, $35 extra delivered.  I think I have filled 11 wheel barrels full so far.....with much more yet to go.
So I have been working on my different gardens, with my "Fountain Garden" in the picture below. I still have much more to do, but it is coming along fine. Picked up that little goose at a garage sale, isn't he cute??? I need to redo the fountain and dig a hole deeper for the liner, which means moving all the rocks again. But in the mean time, this works for now.

 In the picture below, I made this cute little "angel garden" tonight, adding the brick, mulch, and snow on the mountain.

 Now this picture below is my "patio garden." Layed the mulch down around the bricks and side garden tonight. Sometime this summer we are going to get a picnic table, Sam's Club seems to have the best price.

 In the picture below is my "Tomato Garden." In the forefront, is an old wheel barrel with burpless cucumber plants.......hopefully I will get some cucumbers this year. I will also have some onions planted in that little box. Also planted in the garden is a perennial daisy plant.

 In the picture below is the "fire pit garden" as you can see there is a lot to do and lots of weeds to pull. See that ugly shed to the right of the garden??? I want to paint the shed white and make some painted flowers on it, spruce it up a bit, but that may not be till July or so, after I get all my gardens done and all the mulch spread.

I still have a few other gardens going, but those are still needing some TLC. Eventually it will all come together. 

Well, I think I will close for now, have to get dinner going for JP's dinner tonight. Making a few cards also, seems my cards get put on the back burner when there is garden work to do. So much to do and so little time....my plate is full. Have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.

Cheers ~ Louise