Gianni and the saffron adventure
“For over 20 years, I have grown and produced saffron with great attention to the quality and natural rhythms of the earth. Discovering cultures, cultivation and processing methods of this spice, I have traveled the world and I have met wonderful people who passed on their knowledge to me. In Italy, I am part of the consortium “Il Croco” of Pietro Perugino and nurseryman of the Italian Zafferano Association.”
For Terre di Confine (a farming venture in Umbria, Italy), Gianni is also responsible for declining the use of saffron in Gin and Beer.
Gianni’s rich experience leads him today to be Administrator of the agricultural estate La Violetta (Molise, Italy). He tells us:
“We are involved in reawakening a productive context, it’s about making resurface traditions and ensuring the knowledge is not lost, but survives to be transmitted to the generations to come.”
Gianni Vinerbi
Saffron is the hidden actor of many great recipes
Gianni tells us:
“In my wanderings I realized that saffron is very underrated. It is the supporting actor in many dishes.
I greatly recommend adding a touch of saffron in the sweets. Have you ever tried in white cream or in the base of a crostata? Its unique savour turns your sweets into a real emotion”.
The tailor of the red gold
The saffron, also called the Red Gold, as it deeply colors food in a warm tonality, is one the the most precious spices of our world.
Its history began in Asia Minor, where the cultivation of this prized spice, mentioned in famous works such as Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Homer’s Iliad, began to be the protagonist of an intense trade towards Greece and Northern Africa.
Today it is cultivated in a few parts of the world and in the central regions of Italy.
“Having the right professionals at your side is essential, so the entreprise speaks the same language. This project is truly tailor-made so it adopts and fits well our territory.”
Gianni Vinerbi
Attentive cultivation practices
Saffron is obtained from the stigmas of the Crocus Sativus flower, belonging to the Iridaceae family of plants, Gianni tells us.
Its cultivation requires a particular process:
- First of all, check the soil where the bulbs will reside. It is in fact important to make sure that the chosen land is slightly clayey, untouched, not previously exploited by intensive agriculture, positioned at an altitude between 300 and 1000 meters above sea level, exposed to the south if possible and free of water stagnation.
- The preparation of the soil shall respect the micro-system that contains life (first 30 cm of earth).
- Planting the bulbs in a vegetative (dormant) state, between mid-July and early September.
- Between mid-October and November the harvest takes place, in the morning and by hand only, followed by the grazing, separation of the three coats of arms from the flower, also done manually and drying, within the same day.
- This is then followed by 30 days of conservation of the stigmas, during which the organoleptic profile is fixed…
Fundamental moment that will determine the quality of the final product, explains Gianni.