Re: Stevia

**sanderson** 8/28/2015, 3:46 am

I drink ice tea and ice water since I gave up diet coke so I will try it in the tea. Now I have to read Stevia for Dummies.

Marc Iverson 8/28/2015, 4:19 am

Holy cow, there is actually and actually a call for a book like that??? I've stepped into something bigger than usual.

**sanderson** 8/28/2015, 4:26 am

**AtlantaMarie** 8/28/2015, 8:27 am

I grew stevia a couple of years ago. I dried the leaves & now use them in my herbal tea. I just crush them with the tea leaves.

Marc Iverson 8/28/2015, 2:08 pm

Why did you stop growing it?

**sanderson** 8/28/2015, 4:15 pm

Marc, Just guessing, but maybe she had enough leaves for a while??? My coriander seed harvest was so big that I may have a life time supply. Next year I will grow lots of slow bolt cilantro.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/28/2015, 5:38 pm

Does it have a licorice taste at all?

**sanderson** 8/28/2015, 5:56 pm

Zero. I do not like licorice.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/28/2015, 6:09 pm

Good, me neither, someone at work told me that which kinda ruined the whole "stevia" idea for me. Should have done my own taste test.

**sanderson** 8/28/2015, 6:23 pm

If a local nursery carries them, covertly break off a leaf and try it. I slowly chewed it until the sweetness was released. Now you have me worried that my taste buds are off! Very Happy

mollyhespra 8/28/2015, 9:06 pm

No, your taste buds aren't off, Sanderson. No licorice flavor at all. Some processed powdered Stevia has an aftertaste but even then, it would never occur to me to compare it to licorice. (Yuck. I don't like licorice at all, either.)

**Scorpio Rising** 8/28/2015, 10:17 pm

Good!

**AtlantaMarie** 8/29/2015, 8:28 am

Marc Iverson wrote:Why did you stop growing it?

Sanderson's right. I have enough for a while!

Sorry it took so long to respond. Been a busy week!

CapeCoddess 8/29/2015, 10:14 am

sanderson wrote:I bought a Sweet Maya stevia plant at OSH today. The leaves are sweet! I had 2 employees break off a leaf and I swear, they were afraid to eat it like they were being poisoned! But, then, they were so surprised that they liked it!! I think I am in love.

Congrats! Ditto on being in love! Don't be afraid to cut it back. Will it be a year round outdoor plant in your area? It's a year round houseplant in mine.

I have so many leaves drying and fresh right now that I'm making vodka extract for the first time ever today using the homestead link that Molly gave us earlier.
http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/08/homemade-stevia-extract.html
I'll let you know how it turns out.
What a Face

My neighbor just brought over some vodka and asked if I could use a neglected bottle of gin to make extract. Any one know the answer?
CC

**AtlantaMarie** 9/30/2015, 10:18 pm

Came across this article about stevia on FB this evening & was asked to share it.

http://www.going2natural.com/home-2/how-to-make-your-own-stevia/

**walshevak** 10/1/2015, 5:06 am

I saw that too and wondered about shelf life. I've seen other methods that include vodka or grain alcohol.

Any comments?

Kay

**AtlantaMarie** 10/1/2015, 8:57 am

Well, it's over a year old now & still tastes fine. The leaves are nice & crunchy and flavor my tea the way I like.

I have found for dehydrated herbs (and everything else, for that matter), it's best to store in jars (or seal-a-meal bags) and use the seal-a-meal to take out the air. They last much longer that way. I put the herbs in jars so that they don't get crushed in the bags...

CapeCoddess 10/1/2015, 12:58 pm

Good article! I made liquid stevia using both vodka and water. I can say hands down that I like the water best. The vodka extract was actually kind of gross even though I cooked it long enough to remove the alcohol and reduce it down.

CC

**sanderson** 10/1/2015, 1:01 pm

I wonder if my lone stevia can over winter in my region? Does anyone know? Otherwise, I should pick and dry like in the article. Thanks, Marie.

CapeCoddess 10/1/2015, 1:06 pm

Sanderson, I just read this on a seed sellers website:
Not winter-hardy, except in zones 8-10.

Guess you could try it. I have mine in a pot and it's pretty much a house plant.

**sanderson** 10/1/2015, 1:59 pm

CC, Thank you. Worth a try this winter.

**AtlantaMarie** 10/2/2015, 6:27 am

It definitely does NOT overwinter in 7b/8a!

CapeCoddess 3/4/2016, 3:48 pm

Hard cut stevia is coming back for the ....I dunno...6th year?
Stevia - Page 3 00810

Stevia loves spring!

The cuttings are hanging up and used in smoothies.
CC

**AtlantaMarie** 3/4/2016, 4:02 pm

Wow! I am SO jealous! (But I still have quite a bit from 2014 that I dried.)

**sanderson** 3/4/2016, 6:07 pm

Wow! Now I'm hopeful I can keep mine going. I bought it in the fall and it is still alive without winter protection.

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