How sweet it is to grow your own stevia
Stevia is a natural, calorie-free sweetener that's a great substitute for sugar and artificial sweeteners in coffee, tea and other beverages and foods. Though you may recognize the fine white powder you find in a packet of processed stevia, you probably wouldn't recognize the plant that it comes from.
The stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) is a South American native plant that contains compounds that are incredibly sweet. Most commercially produced stevia (including many of the brands that come in those little packets) are made from a derivative of stevia called Reb A or Rebiana that's highly processed. Though there are some brands of stevia that are made directly from the whole leaves of the plant, they can be hard to come by. So, if you want pure stevia, the easiest place to get it is from your own backyard.
Stevia is actually a very easy plant to grow. I've seen it at several local garden centers this spring (it's usually in the herb section). Though it can be grown from seed, it's easier to start with a small plant or cutting.
Stevia is grown as an annual here in Pennsylvania as it does not survive freezing temperatures, though the plant can be overwintered indoors as a houseplant.
To grow stevia, choose a site with full sun and average garden soil, or grow stevia in a pot on a sunny deck or patio. The plants grow fairly large, up to 2 feet wide and equally as tall, so give them plenty of room. Since you'll be harvesting on a regular basis, choose an accessible site if you can.
After planting, keep your stevia plant well watered throughout the early summer. There's no need to supply fertilizer as the plant is prolific enough without it. By mid-summer, the leaves will be ready for harvest.
To harvest stevia, use a sharp pair of pruning shears to cut the top half of the plant off completely just before the flowers begin to open (you can also make a second harvest in fall, before frost strikes).
Stevia leaves can be used fresh or you can dry them before use. To dry, gather the cut stems into bunches of five to six stems each. Wrap a rubber band around the base of the bunch and hang it to dry in a cool, dry room for four to six weeks. Once dry, pull the leaves from the stems and store them in an airtight, screw-top glass jar. Do not use the stems as their flavor is bitter, not sweet.
Though you can sweeten by tossing a few fresh or dried leaves in warm coffee or tea, you'll get a much better flavor if you extract the sweet compounds into water or alcohol first. To use water, soak 1 tablespoon of dried stevia leaves in a pint of boiling water. After 10 minutes, strain off the water and discard the leaves. Store the sweet water in the fridge and use within a week. You can add the sweet water stevia to coffee, tea and other drinks.
For alcohol extraction, fill a pint-sized glass jar loosely to the top with fresh stevia leaves (no stems) or a third of the way with dried stevia leaves. Fill the jar with high-quality vodka, covering all the leaves completely. Shake the jar and let it soak at room temperature for one to two days (no longer), then strain out the leaves and discard them. Pour the liquid into a small saucepan and cook it for 20 minutes over low to medium heat to remove the alcohol and enhance the sweetness. Do not let it come to a boil.
Once the 20 minutes has passed, cool the extract and store it in the fridge where it will last for a month or more. To use stevia extract, place only one or two drops into a mug of coffee or tea. It's incredibly sweet and if you add too much, it tastes bitter. Small amounts go a long way. You can also use stevia extract to sweeten plain yogurt, fruits and other dishes. Do not, however, use it as a substitute for sugar in baking, unless you're using a specific recipe that calls for liquid stevia extract.
Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts “The Organic Gardeners” at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio with Doug Oster. She is the author of several gardening books, including “Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control” and “Good Bug, Bad Bug.” Her website is jessicawalliser.com.
Send your gardening or landscaping questions to tribliving@tribweb.com or The Good Earth, 622 Cabin Hill Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601.
