Saffron in Provence

Near the base of Mont Ventoux is where you will find the village of Le Barroux in the Vaucluse region of Provence France.

Perched atop a rocky outcrop, halfway between Carpentras and Vaison la Romaine, Le Barroux is a charming picturesque village that's worth a visit.

Just a short walk from the village is charming L'Aube Safran. L'Aube Safran has 1,000 square meters planted with saffron crocus from which saffron is produced. The Saffron crocus is a domesticated, sterile, perennial flower not found in the wild and thus depends upon a farmer’s assistance to reproduce.

The saffron crocus thrives in the mild Mediterranean climate -in full sun - and nearly the entirety of the world’s saffron producing plants are grown in a band from Spain in the west to Kashmir in the east. The crocus flowers are harvested between October and November and the 3 stigmas from each flower are picked and then dried.

The stigmas lose more than 70% of their weight during the drying process as a fresh flower may yield 30 mg of saffron but the dried weight is only 7 mg of saffron. It takes 200 crocus flowers to produce 1.0 gram of dried saffron. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. L'Aube Safran is located about 27 km from Sablet; it takes about 30 minutes to drive from Sablet.

L'Aube Safran is definitely worth a visit if you are in the Vaucluse and especially so if you are a foodie like me. Francois and Marie are wonderful hosts and you will be warmly greeted and entertained during your visit. You can buy saffron as well as products made with saffron.