sca-cooks Re: campfoods

[Sue Wensel]

Tumeric is often used as a cheap coloring agent to replace saffron.  While
the taste is nothing like saffron, it makes things yellow. (sometimes more
than you want)  You can die eggs with tumeric.  It is a root that is dried
and then ground. The plant looks similar to a ginger or cardamon plant. It
is used in eastern (indian) cooking and in the west it is used in mustard
and pickles, alot.

Safflower is probably the closest of the substitutes.  it is easy to grow
and easy to save.  I've grown saffron  and safflower in Ansteorra with
medium and good results, respectively.  Probably you could mix the two and
get a large quantity with a little aroma of saffron.

        On a side note. buddhist monks used saffron to dye the robes they
wear.  The yellow from saffron is water soluable and the red is extracted
through alcohol.  Offical documents used to be tied up with thin ribbons of
saffron dyed red.... hence the term "red tape"  It's from saffron ribbons.

Clare R. St. John