The saffron harvest is underway on the handful of farms across Victoria growing the labour-intensive spice.
Gamila MacRury has been producing saffron in Beechworth for 13 years and said these were the busiest four weeks of the year.
"We need to pick up to three times a day in the peak flushes, and that's because we need to pick them before the flowers open," Ms MacRury said.
"The bees also love it. It's a purple flower that smells great and it helps you sleep.
"So we have to pick multiple times during the day to keep the bees happy and to keep the saffron at the highest quality."
Ms MacRury said the saffron harvest was unpredictable as the peak time for picking was so closely tied to the weather.
"For example, we thought today was going to be a rest day, but we came out and there were heaps of little purple flowers so we have to get them off," she said.
Picked by hand
In the central Victorian town of Dunolly, Rosemary Pamic spends her autumn days picking her saffron flowers individually by hand.
"Each corm will produce around three or four flowers … and in the morning the flowers are not fully open and like a tulip shape. That's the best way to pick them. You don't want them too exposed in the sun," Ms Pamic said.
"I'll pick the flowers and stigma and bring them in my drying shed, then I'll separate the petals from the stigmas.
"I'll use a dehydrator, and then age the stigmas for a month."
Ms Pamic said she had noticed a change in the way she had harvested this season, perhaps due to the weather.
"We have noticed a difference in the past two weather patterns. Last season I had a little flurry of flowers, then a little lull before another flurry. The corms I planted this year, there's a bit of a delay with those compared to previous years."
More expensive than gold
Ninety per cent of the world's saffron is produced in Iran, leaving the Australian market small but becoming more viable.
Ms MacRury said she did not compete with the Iranian market, and instead tried to distinguish her product.
"My saffron retails at $240 per gram, which works well, and I'm able to sell everything I produce," Ms MacRury said.
Ms MacRury also grows table olives, which are harvested at the same time.
She said the two complement each other as saffron can be so unpredictable.
"So for my business, having the table olives and saffron is complementary. The saffron is the cream."
