It’s hard work to harvest, but a growing cadre of small farmers and home gardeners are cultivating the spice for profit, or simply pleasure. Bulb-like corms, at top, produce saffron crocuses.

Narrator: Once the crop starts flowering, harvesters have to work fast to make sure they can pick it all in time. Almost all of the saffron planted can flower within one week of the year.

Nestled in a picturesque valley beneath the snow-capped Himalayas lies Pampore, a town in the Kashmir region, celebrated as the heartland of saffron cultivation. Known for producing the world’s most ...

The Philipps are part of a resurgence of interest in growing saffron among American small farmers in search of a cash crop, and among cooks and backyard gardeners seeking the thrill of growing the ...