Canterbury's golden spice
A sisterhood of a different kind is flowering on Canterbury’s plains.
Just up the road in Oxford, an unlikely crop is flourishing – saffron.
It turns out that Canterbury’s climate is perfect for growing saffron, mirroring the conditions of one of its homelands, Iran.
Nicola Nolet and her husband Eric Lubben, the duo behind South Island Saffron, are cultivating this delicate yet powerful plant. But what makes saffron unique is its matriarchal nature.
Each year, the mother corms produce smaller daughter corms – like a flower of garlic – ensuring the continuation of the plant. This natural cycle inspired the couple’s brand name: Sisterhood of Saffron.
At their farm on Woodside Road, Nicola and Eric, alongside a handful of quails, ducks, a few sheep, and two beloved dogs, work year-round to plant, harvest, and dry their saffron. They also welcome the occasional group of WWOOFers to help with the delicate process.
Saffron is pretty hardy, but harvesting the flower is an intricate, labour-intensive task that requires patience and precision.
“You need a strong back and a delicate touch,” Nicola says with a laugh.
The process begins with carefully picking the flowers by hand. Next, the bright red stigmas – saffron’s most prized part – are delicately separated from the petals and dried. The petals themselves aren’t wasted; they can be used to make tea, soap, and even colour and flavour gin.
But the real magic lies in the stigmas. This fragile spice, worth more than its weight in gold, has endless culinary and medicinal applications. Not only does it taste good, but it is also known for its health benefits. Saffron is believed to have antioxidant properties, enhance mood, and even help the hormones, liver, and eyes.
Despite its versatility, Nicola finds that many people still view saffron as an exotic, almost inaccessible ingredient.
“People often tell me they don’t know much about it,” she says. “I want to educate them and make saffron more approachable. A lot of people think it’s a luxury item, like truffles or caviar, but it doesn’t have to be.”
To change this perception, Sisterhood of Saffron is launching a pick-your-own experience at their Woodside Road farm. They’re picking now, and visitors will have the opportunity to “fill their buckets with flowers” and learn firsthand about the saffron-growing process.
“We’ll be there to guide people every step of the way,” Nicola explains. “We show them exactly where to pinch the flower. You actually have to pick it just before it fully opens to beat the bees – because they know how good it is too!”
Nicola wants to take a new, modern approach to saffron and also wants people to experience the full potential of saffron, beyond what we’re used to.
“When you harvest the stigmas, they come together with a yellow strand. Most top-grade saffron removes this part, but we think it’s full of nectar and sweetness – offering even more flavour. By picking your own, you get to enjoy the whole experience.”
For those inspired to take saffron beyond the farm, Sisterhood of Saffron also sells corms, which they dig up in November. To start their own saffron patches at home, Nicola invites people to follow the South Island Saffron Facebook page to find out when they’re available.
“It’s surprisingly easy to grow. Just put it in some soil with a bit of seaweed fertiliser, leave them, and watch the magic happen.”