How is saffron harvested?

6-8 weeks after planting the corms, the plants are ready for harvest. It is believed that each corm produces 1 flower and 3 stigmas. The flower should be picked when they open completely. Harvesting should be done during the mid-day of a bright sunny day. Manual picking is the most common way of harvesting these flowers. All the flowers are collected and piled on a table and then the stigma is removed from the flowers for further processing.