Anyone grown stevia?

Just been watching something on the telly about stevia, and how it can be used as a natural sweetener (or the syrup from it can if steeped in water overnight), and apparently it will grow in the UK...... now, its not as though I don't have enough seeds, but once a gardener, always a gardener....

Anyone grown this stuff?

 

I haven't someone I know has & says they are a half hardy perennial plant if overwintered on a cool window sill indoors or heated conservatory here... Take cuttings when you find a really sweet plant as they vary.. This is what she sent me...

This might be of interest as well.. http://www.stevia.net/growingstevia.htm

 

Yes, we used to grow it. It wasn't difficult to grow but I suggest you consider it to be similar to growing basil - a non-hardy perennial that doesn't like getting too cold or have its feet to wet.

The plant will never give you the equivalent sweetness of the sweetener you buy but it is sweet. You can infuse the fresh leaves in your drink or dry the leaves and crush them. I hung them up in a sunny, dry position outside and they dried pretty quickly. Sometimes the fresh leaves can have a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Re buying the stevia sweetener:- look carefully at the content of the different products . Now that it's allowed over here, the sweetener manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon. You sometimes find that they 'stevia' product contains artificial sweetener in varying amounts. Some of the artificial ones are OK and other you wouldn't want to touch with bargepole!

As with everything - always read the label.

 

Thanks all

The liquorice flavour puts me off a bit, as I can't stand the stuff, however if I could grow some without that it might be worthwhile - especially for sticking a few leaves in with a brew for sweetness. I have a very sweet tooth, so if there was any way I could cut down a bit it would be good?

Might take a look at the stuff in the supermarket first, see if I can get a stevia only sweetener and see what it tastes like.

 

I've been using Stevia for about 20 years, before the ban, during the ban (I helped get it removed) and since the ban.

The best make that I've found is 'Stevia Extract' made by Vitacost and comes in liquid form in 4oz dropper bottles. The unadulterated version is not sold over here and and I buy it from America (on line). The added ingredients in their version are just vegetable glycerin (thickens it) and deionised water (dilutes it).

I reckon that two drops equal a flat teaspoon of sugar and each bottle is supposed to contain 3200 drops. I use it sparingly (1 drop in a cup of tea and 4 drops in a bowl of porridge) and a bottle lasts about six months. We usually buy five or six bottles at a time because it saves hassle and a lot of postage.