SC - [Fwd: [Shire X] Oh, My, so This is what they eat in CAID . . . .]

[Donna Kepner Ford]

I should, perhaps, add that this particular store -- a local Indian
grocery --
is advertising it as a special price, "only one per customer", so perhaps
it's a loss leader (and it's actually $17.99/oz).  I have not seen the
saffron close up, since they keep it behind the counter.  It is in golden-
colored tin boxes, with cellophane and a thin cord around them, but the
words "product of Spain" are visible on the side.  Can one tell by looks
alone if saffron is genuine?


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain


I suppose it is possible that they are selling it at their cost, as a loss
leader -- and they may have got it at a lower than usual cost, particularly
if it is not the latest crop, but some years old. The packaging you mention
sounds like the proper packaging, and "product of Spain" is encouraging. If
you can afford it, it certainly might be worth a try. As to appearance,
safflower, while similar the general appearance to saffron threads, looks
quite different on close scrutiny, as it is actually whole flower heads,
including the petals, rather than the stigmas as in saffron.

Yours "croc-ily" (crocus sativus),
Francesco Sirene