Herat's saffron season runs from late October to mid-November. Pickers start before dawn, finish by mid-morning. Stripping (separating the stigmas) happens at home that same afternoon. Drying takes 30–60 minutes over low heat. Most farms are small, family-run, and 1–5 acres in size.
Dawn
The crocuses open just before sunrise. By 7 AM, families and hired pickers walk the rows with small bowls. The pace is fast — flowers must be picked while petals are still closed.
Mid-morning
By 10 AM, the day's flowers are inside. The whole household — uncles, cousins, neighbors — sits on the floor stripping stigmas. The room smells like honey and grass.
Afternoon
Stigmas go onto woven trays over low heat. They lose 80% of their weight as they dry. By dinner, the day's harvest is sealed in airtight tins.
November
The season ends. Tins are weighed, graded, and shipped — historically via Iran or Pakistan, increasingly directly through Dubai or Mumbai to the US.
Where Raihan fits
Raihan Saffron works with a small group of these family farms. Every tin we ship from Lynn, Massachusetts traces back to a row of crocuses in Herat.