Use mulch and insulating straw built up around the bases of the plants. And we use stevia a lot. Use half (or less than half) of the amount of stevia as you normally would for sugar. Discard any wilted or brown leaves, and … According to The University of Kentucky Extension office in their publication Stevia, aphids and white flies can become a serious problem on stevia in greenhouses. If you planted your stevia in containers, simply move your plants indoors during colder spells! Hang or lay out your harvested stems in the sun for a faster drying time. A dehydrator could be used for leaf drying, or if you have a lot of stems, plants can be dried in the sun and then threshed to separate the sweet leaves from the bitter stems. After flowering, the plant doesn’t produce as much sweetness. Making Stevia Extract with Glycerin. Liquid stevia should be kept in the refrigerator. So don’t give up, Mama. wikiHow's. Strain the leaves from the mixture. How about trying to revive it and keep it inside over the winter? There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Now that I know how to save I’ll be trying some of these ideas! While sitting at the computer he liked to open the jar, break of a bit and savor it like a mint several times in an evening, and I think he may have taken it to work with him. It is a perennial that will come back next year is planted properly. To thresh the plant you just remove the leaves from the stem. After straining, I place some in a small dropper bottle. The main stevia crop is harvested when plants are mature and blooms have just begun to form over the entire plant, generally in late summer. That's why you only need a … You can also crush dried stevia leaves into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle, food processor, or even a coffee grinder. Pure Stevia Extract Powder. No Fillers, No Chemicals, No Added Ingredients - Just pure all natural stevia extract powder. Now that you know how to grow stevia and use it, will you be adding it to your garden this year? I just realized it appears to be drying out. X Stevia powder is a sweetener and sugar substitute made from leaves of the plant species stevia rebaudiana. If the stevia starts to get cloudy, pour back into a saucepan and repeat instructions again. [1] A few drops of stevia extract are as sweet as a teaspoon of sugar. Not recommended to do though but i just finished drying them and used them. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. But what should you do when the time comes to harvest your stevia? Don’t store the doonk back in the pouch as … I grew a handsome stevia plant in zone 5, harvested it at flowering and after a good rinse (city living! I don’t bake much, when I do we sweeten with maple syrup or honey. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. To continue your harvest, just pinch out early blooms. A teaspoon of stevia syrup is as sweet as a cup of sugar. Wipe the blades regularly with a little alcohol. Type: Tender perennial–usually grown as an annual. I have used dried up leaves and as long as they are green they still had some flavour but not black or slimey. Stevia can be rather pricey, so if you enjoy its sweetening flavor you may want to grow and dry your own. Stevia extract powder is more potent than sugar, however. Unlike chemical sweeteners, NOW® BetterStevia® contains pure Stevia extract. Keep it in a sunny windowsill until all danger of frost has passed. A bottle lasts me about 3 weeks. Or would that be more trouble than it’s worth? You can keep it inside as long as it has sun, water and fertilizer. Author Charles Dowling, in his recent article in Permaculture Magazine, shares that he was able to harvest 8.4 ounces of dried stevia leaf from three stevia plants. Fill an 8 oz. Thankfully it has few pests and is easy to grow and preserve. I am not the best gardener but even i had three out of twelve seeds germinate just trown in a pot and watered. I’m curious as to why you want take it from Flagstaff to Tucson, then replant it in Flagstaff again? You may know stevia from the grocery store as a white, processed powder; however preserving the leaf from your own plants will also provide you with many cups of green sweet goodness. This is wonderful info! You can grow stevia and preserve it yourself for a fraction of the price of the commercially processed product. Stevia and its extracts have no calories, few carbohydrates, and a glycemic index of zero. It can have a bitter aftertaste so you should introduce it to your palate in small doses until you are used to it. (Source: New American Herbal by Stephen Orr). For Alcohol Concentrate: To concentrate the sweet qualities and remove the alcohol content you can heat the filtered tincture over a low flame for 20-30 minutes in a glass pot. My friend put about 4~5 leaves (after he “dried” them, of course) into the “coffee filter” instead of coffee grounds and then he pretended it was “coffee grounds” and turned the machine on, lol…and when he was done, he called it Liquid Stevia Extract . You can also soak them in water mixed with a cap-full of bleach before use. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. My friend said if you harvest the leaves when they are smaller, they aren’t bitter…but the longer/larger you let the leaves grow the more bitter they become – the closer the plant gets to flowering. I love the idea of Stevia Syrup and I will be trying it! Use a lightweight blanketing material (available from most gardening stores) over the tops of the plants. Stevia products found on grocery store shelves, such as Truvia and Stevia in the Raw, don’t contain whole stevia leaf. Stevia leaves can be used fresh by dropping a leaf into a container of lemonade or cup of tea, but drying stevia leaves allows you keep your harvest for later use. When adding the powder to your drink or recipe with your doonk, turn spoon downward and gently tap it on the side of your glass or bowl as you empty it out. They should be good for about 12 months. Perhaps the easiest way to preserve your stevia leaves is to make an extract. I just order seeds the other day so now I know better how to grow it. Concerns about stevia have settle, he uses an organic powdered extract, and is quite content with it as his beverage sweetener. The use of maltodextrin helps the stevia flow smoothly out of the packet, making it easier to measure. Once your leaves are dry, grind them in a food processor or coffee grinder to make pure stevia. I have been plucking a leaf off and putting in my ice tea for sweetener. Your dry stevia leaves can be used to make a healthy syrup for sweetening beverages, sauces, or even other syrups. The good thing about stevia is … Fertilizer requirements: Stevia plants respond well to organic fertilizers and compost since they release nitrogen slowly. Sweetness is intensified by cooler temperatures and short days; however, sugar levels decline after flowering. Turns out powder from the real stevia plant is a far cry from the “stevia” found in nearly every food product on store shelves. NuNaturals NuStevia White Stevia Powder is the perfect all-purpose sweetener. Please log in again. It was so worth it. Leave the jar to sit for up to two days, shaking or stirring occasionally. Stevia is becoming a popular plant and is readily available at most local nurseries. Once dried, whole stevia leaves can be stored for 12 months in air-tight containers or plastic bags. I was growing a stevia plant on my front sunny porch. Cool completely in the saucepan and then transfer to a glass bottle with a dropper. Measuring Stevia PURE Extract Powder. How To Grow, Harvest, and Preserve Onions, How To Build A Hydroponic System Out Of Recycled Soda Bottles, How To Prune Apple Trees For A Great Harvest, Dried stevia leaves. Whisk in stevia powder until completely dissolved. The login page will open in a new tab. I … Thanks! How To Grow Stevia and Preserve Stevia Leaf. At the time there were concerns about toxicity in some of the commercial extracts available. Does anyone know how many plants/leaves are needed for any certain amount dried? Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Make Stevia Into Syrup. You can make fresh or dried stevia leaves into a liquid stevia extract for broader use in the kitchen. Stevia’s shelf-life is long and that container lasts us about 1 year or more. If you eat food that contains stevia on-the-regular, you’re going to want to pay close attention as we cover a very brief history of stevia along with its health benefits and the best and worst types of stevia. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 40 minutes. Using the right techniques, you can harvest a crop of pure stevia and start using the extracted sweetness all year round! Trying some seeds indoors next year a month ahead and see what happens. Stevia Powder 16oz, natural sugar substitute, high quality, highly concentrated, only need a little bit per use. I tried it this year in canada in a pot. It is a super sweet powdery substance that comes in containers from 1 oz up to 1 lb. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Use a mesh screen or grind them in a food processor or coffee grinder. You could try doing that. Another popular way to use stevia is in its pure powder form. Good Article – will try to make some extract. Also known as sweet leaf, the plant's leaves can be used as a natural sweetener, and as a sugar substitute. Thanks How To Make Liquid Extract. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Drying: Dry leaves on a screen or drying tray. The plants were 30 inches tall by end of summer. Learn more... You've probably heard about the health benefits of the stevia plant (stevia rebaudiana). Stevia will not survive an extended frost. Store your stevia powder in an air-tight container. You can keep this as a potted plant, in bulk dried leaves, or as a green powder. Hi Amity, Results were predictable. To make stevia extract, add a handful of chopped stevia leaves to a jar and fill it with vodka. Stevia prefers a medium rich garden soil with compost and full sun. Since stevia leaf is up to 15 times sweeter than sugar, his harvest is the equivalent of 53 pounds of sugar. To remove the alcohol: once the 36 hours are up simmer the mixture on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Even though this powder may be quite fine, it will not dissolve in liquids. Maltodextrin and Stevia Extract: Our White Stevia Powder contains maltodextrin, a tasteless food-grade carbohydrate derived from non-GMO corn. This is a 100% safe sweetener, truly natural (and Paleo). 1) Keep the alcohol-containing liquid stevia extract. Thanks so much! If you have a food dehydrator, you can use one of those as well. NOW® BetterStevia® is a zero-calorie, low glycemic, certified organic sweetener that makes a perfectly healthy substitute for table sugar and artificial sweeteners. I planted 2 small plants in my Flagstaff, AZ (zone 6) summer home this year. Leaves dry quickly, usually in a day. Bring 1 cup of water to a near boiling, add 1/2 cup of lightly crushed stevia leaves. When it cools, strain and bottle as above. Just a few drops in my iced tea and it tastes just like southern sweet tea, without all the calories! Perhaps the easiest way to preserve your stevia leaves is to make an extract. However you might not have luck with reviving it if it’s in a pot. You can also buy ready-made stevia liquid concentrate from your local health food store. Plant Stevia seed in late winter. (Half Pint) canning jar loosely to the top with crushed stevia leaves (Fresh or dried, but not powdered).2. Once the leaves are dry you can crumble them into a fine powder. He had a job that involved driving long miles, and developed a habit of keeping a bag of candy next to him and having a treat several times a day. What is the number of days to germination? While struggling to drop the inevitable extra weight, I suggested Stevie to him. Certified Organic Better Stevia, Extract Powder, Zero-Calorie Sweetener. Can Stevie leaves be frozen and then used in tea or coffee? Store the powder in an air-tight container. My husband grew up with a sweet tooth. Homegrown stevia powder should be stored in an airtight container. Stir and leave out at room temperature for 24 hours. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Try pure stevia extract powder. I wondered if i can dig it up, pot it, take it to my winter home in Tucson, then replant it in Flagstaff next summer. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. To make a green stevia powder that can be used in baking recipes, take the dried leaves and put them in a powerful blender or food processor (I use the “dry ingredient” attachment on my Vitamix) to create a very fine powder. This is the form of stevia that I most often use. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Use an electric grinder or food processor. Refrigeration: Use leaves fresh; leaves will keep a couple of days wrapped in a damp paper towel placed in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper. Typically, they dry in one day. Preserving and Storing Stevia. The higher mineral content of these keeps his sweet tooth from going wild. When regular measuring spoons are too big … give these nifty Tad, dash, pinch, smidgen and a … This pint of leaves lasted for 2 or 3 years in which time he retired, became more vigilant with diet and lost over 50 pounds! Harvested plants are dried with low heat (95-120°F) and good air circulation for 24 to 48 hours. Really informative article! Alternatively, wash them with soap or disinfectant and hot water. Using a ratio of 2 parts stevia to 3 parts liquid, place one cup of stevia in the jar and cover it with 1.5 cups of alcohol. Stevioside is 250 times sweeter than table sugar. Take 2 cups of warm water and add it to half a cup of dried stevia leaves. We only recommend products and services we have thoroughly reviewed and used. They can be crumbled, chopped or powdered. Strain through muslin or a coffee filter and pour the tincture into a dark colored bottle. In South American countries, this popular herb has been used for thousands of years as a sweetener. Stevia is an herb like lavender or mint. After 24 hours strain the stevia out of the liquid and store the liquid stevia in the refrigerator. A general rule of thumb is that 2 tablespoons of stevia powder equals 1 cup of sugar. It’s about 100 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar, but it has no carbohydrates, calories, or artificial ingredients. In an effort to eat healthier and be more self reliant, my family is growing a few stevia plants this year. Store in the refrigerator. This mixture should be kept in the refrigerator, where it will store for six months. Yes, but you’ll need to break them apart to get the sweetness so it might not work out the way you would like if your freeze the leaves. With some tender loving care it should work. Use the conversion chart at the end of this post and substitute half of the sugar in a recipe with stevia to help your taste buds adjust. Lay them out in a well-ventilated area, or chop the plants off at the base and hang them whole from a rafter. Store whole dried stevia leaves in a cool dark place, such as in a cupboard. Thanks Jennifer! {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/22\/Harvest-Stevia-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Harvest-Stevia-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/22\/Harvest-Stevia-Step-1.jpg\/aid10153442-v4-728px-Harvest-Stevia-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"