22 January 2008
The February 2008 issue of Bon Appetit contains a wonderful article on Spannocchia! This special “green” issue of the famous culinary magazine includes all kinds of interesting articles on green living and eating. The 10-page article (you read correctly, we got 10 full pages!!) on Spannocchia is cleverly written by Ann Hood and beautifully photographed by Cedric Angeles. It delves into many aspects of what we do here; from our tasty prosciutto and organic farming, to our thriving community, to our growing green tourism operation. We hope you enjoy the read and beautiful spread of photographs. A presto!
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21 November 2007
The newest, and most beautiful, crop to be grown at Spannocchia is saffron or zafferano in Italian. The crocus bulbs are planted in the very early fall, and in just over a month beautiful lavender crocus flowers push their way out of the soil. The flowers are then hand harvested early in the morning and the three red stamen are carefully removed from the middle of the flower. The red stamen (the saffron) are then dried and ready for use in delicious dishes such as risotto allo zafferano. The red stamen when heated or infused create the vibrant yellow color associated with saffron.
Saffron, which was originally domesticated in the Middle East, has been cultivated in the Mediterranean region for centuries, and is a typical product of San Gimignano. To be sure you are getting real, unadulterated saffron you should purchase it still in the stamen form and not as a powder. Incredibly, saffron is worth more than its weight in gold. A presto!
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