One of the great joys of that true seasonality is a wealth of crops that naturally flourish and peak in quality when harvested at specific times of the year.

Celebrating our growers and celebrating a paddock-to-plate philosophy means getting our produce not only when it tastes best but when its nutritional benefits are at their peak too.

Few crops are quite as picky about when they're picked as saffron.

Angela and Brendan Argyle of Argyle Australian Saffron know all about being responsive to seasonality.

Over a period of two weeks or so in April it's a case of all hands on deck, quite literally, as the Crocus sativus flowers surrender a spice that has been highly sought after for thousands of years.

With records of cultivation dating back to the Bronze Age, saffron has long been recognised as the world's most expensive spice, often fetching a price higher than gold.

It was often the hottest commodity of the ancient spice routes that connected the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

To this day saffron is grown in a belt like region spanning from Spain to the region of Kashmir, with Iran producing about ninety per cent of the world's supply.

While saffron has long been valued for its medicinal properties and effectiveness as a vivid and lasting dye, its continued relevance lies in the culinary world.

Saffron has become a definitive ingredient in such classic European dishes as Spain's paella, Northern Italy's risotto Milanese, and the bouillabaisse of France's Provence.

Likewise, it is common to the jewelled rice and khoresh of Iran, and biryani from South Asia.

Besides it's beautiful perfume and uniquely sweet flavour, a big part of the reason for saffron's great expense is the painstaking process of harvesting.

On their property in Lidster the Argyles expect to see their crocus flowers poke through some time over the next couple of weeks and when the first frosts arrive they will open exposing the prized crimson red stigmas.

The back-breaking work of picking the flowers at ground level must be done early in the morning as the stigmas lose potency of colour and flavour if the delicate flowers are left to wilt in the sun.

Once picked the stigmas are plucked by hand from the inside the flowers and spread on trays to be dried out and preserved.

Achieving the perfect balance of spacing, heat and humidity is key to preserving the best expression of the spice, although details of the drying process is a tightly guarded secret.

"Saffron growers don't give too much away about how they dry, because that's often where you see the great differentiations in quality," Angela says with a grin.

Defying the high price tag, saffron can be used very sparingly and if kept in an airtight container will last indefinitely.

A one gram jar of Argyle Saffron holds the stigmas of approximately 220 flowers and is potent enough to flavour at least fifteen family dishes.

The well-draining soils of their Lidster property is proving ideal growing conditions and the Argyles are expecting a bumper crop this season.

This is timely as last season's crop has now completely sold out.

The exceptional quality of this local product far outshines the more expensive foreign imports and it is proudly featured in some of Orange's best restaurants including Charred and Lolli Redini.

Argyle Australian Saffron are looking forward to making this season's saffron and saffron products available through their online store, as well as at Essential Ingredient on Summer Street.

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