Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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trends & happenings portion of consumers more likely to visit full-service restaurants during daytime hours than they were two years ago, according to Technomic 22% Growing Gold in VT At $5,000 a pound at retail, saffron is the most expensive spice in the world—and the fourth most fraudulent. The U.S. imports up to 30 tons a year, making traceability out of reach. Which is why a recent study by University of Vermont researchers Margaret Skinner and Arash Ghalehgolab, both of UVM's entomology research laboratory, brings promising news for domestic, traceable saffron. Vermont growers are in a good position to join other small saffron producers in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Maine in creating a robust saffron market in the U.S. Not only did the research prove that Vermont's climate is hospi- table for growing these "gold" threads, but saffron would be a profitable supplemental crop since these late-blooming fall flowers don't take up much space, can handle intense weather, and require only two weeks of harvesting during what is normally a slow farming season. Most surprising, after two consecutive years growing croci in milk crates in high tunnels (greenhouses without heat) in St. Albans, the researchers discovered the flowers produced three to four times more than in-field production. The threads were analyzed for crocin and saf- franal content, and then compared to samples from Pennsylvania, Iran, Spain, and Italy. Results: They were equivalent in quality. But Skinner cautions, "For saffron to become a viable crop in the U.S., we can't just grow it in Vermont. We need to encourage production everywhere." Which is why Skinner and Ghalehgolab established the North American Center for Saffron Research and Development, which sponsored its first sold-out workshop in March. Eighty percent of the growers in attendance said they plan to plant corms in the near future. 16 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com