| Honey Leaf Stevia Can you tell me more about this plant and how to get the sweetner out ?? |
| Stevia should be considered an annual in your growing region, or you can pot up plants to bring inside for use during the winter. In nature it grows on moist, sandy streambanks and marshes, so in the garden, provide a well-drained humusy-loam soil that is slightly acidic (6.0-6.5, which is good for most garden vegetables). Transplants are slow to get going, but will take off in midsummer. Harvest leaves before the plants flower, and dry them for storage. A few days of strong sun should be enough to dry them well. The leaves are harvested, dried, and then ground into a powder. Home-processed stevia will probably be less uniform than the type you can buy commercially. You do not necessarily have to use it as a powder however. You might find the following article about stevia interesting: http://www.garden.org/articles... |
