# Processing stevia for home use



## Randy Rooster (Dec 14, 2004)

I have a large Stevia plant and have never before used it directly off the plant. could someone tell me how to use it and store it etc?

thank you


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

You can pull a green leaf off it, and drop it in your tea/coffee to sweeten it. As far as preservation? I don't like it dried, so I have tried bringing it inside for winter to use a leaf as needed. Most people say they haven't had a lot of luck keeping it going all winter.

I'm thinking of sticking the whole thing in the food processor late this fall with a bit of water and some vodka. Then I will try to use an eye dropper to drip sweetness into drinks. My theory is that the vodka will keep it preserved, but not be enough to hurt anyone if you use a drop or two for sweetening. We shall see if that works.

You can just dry the plant and use it that way, but it has a green taste that I don't like.


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## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

The grasshoppers ate mine down to the stems....hope they spit sweet tobacco..LOL


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## VegRN (Jun 23, 2010)

I wonder if you could boil the leaves then use the "tea" to sweeten other things? Never tried it (or even grown it, but it is on my wish list), but just another thought to ponder.


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## Just Little Me (Aug 9, 2007)

I froze the small branches with the leaves on them to use later. That way they tasted fresh. I did not like the tase of it dried.


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## Jokarva (Jan 17, 2010)

Where is everyone getting their plants? I've never seen them in this area.

KC


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Randy Rooster said:


> I have a large Stevia plant and have never before used it directly off the plant. could someone tell me how to use it and store it etc?
> 
> thank you


First thing you want to do is harvest leaves, or the entire plant, after the nights turn cool, and harvest them in the early morning when they are sweeter. Be sure to harvest before flowers open or the plant will be bitter instead of sweet. The leaves is the part you want and once flower buds set, the plant won't make any more leaves so that's a good time to harvest it. 

There are a couple of ways to process stevia. You can dry the leaves and powder them to use like sugar or you can boil leaves in water or alcohol to make a liquid sweetener (stevia can take heat over 350Â°). If you need to sweeten a hot drink, you might try dropping a leaf in it. I haven't done that cause I don't drink hot drinks, but mom used to do it with hot tea.


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## Randy Rooster (Dec 14, 2004)

Jokarva said:


> Where is everyone getting their plants? I've never seen them in this area.
> 
> KC


I got mine at home depot back in the spring


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I got my stevia from the Amish grocery store.


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## RWBlue01 (Aug 11, 2010)

Spinner said:


> Be sure to harvest before flowers open or the plant will be bitter instead of sweet.


Now I know why I had a problem.


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## crunchy_mama (Aug 7, 2010)

Spinner said:


> First thing you want to do is harvest leaves, or the entire plant, after the nights turn cool, and harvest them in the early morning when they are sweeter. Be sure to harvest before flowers open or the plant will be bitter instead of sweet. The leaves is the part you want and once flower buds set, the plant won't make any more leaves so that's a good time to harvest it.
> 
> There are a couple of ways to process stevia. You can dry the leaves and powder them to use like sugar or you can boil leaves in water or alcohol to make a liquid sweetener (stevia can take heat over 350Â°). If you need to sweeten a hot drink, you might try dropping a leaf in it. I haven't done that cause I don't drink hot drinks, but mom used to do it with hot tea.


Thanks for all those tips. I was going to say I have bought the leaves that are dried and ground and use those in recipes. I think it works best as a partial sub for sugar instead of a full out substitute- then you are less likely to get that aftertaste that many people don't like.


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

Bumping. I bought a plant at my local nursery about a month ago. It has easily tripled in size. I'm paranoid that the plant will start blooming and turn bitter. So I'd love to give the plant a good pruning, but need to know what to do with all those precious sweet leaves.

I tried putting a leaf in my husbands coffee earlier this week. No sweetness. Was I supposed to crush the leaf first?

If I want to boil leaves in water to make a liquid sweetener - how many leaves to how much water? How long do I boil? Then do I store the liquid in the refrigerator? Can it in pint jars? Just leave it on the counter?

My hopes for the stevia were to 1) sweeten my husbands coffee - get him off those yellow packets 2) sweeten our lemonade for the summer- to cut down our sugar consumption.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

I bought a Stevia plangt @ home depot about 7 years ago. 
Since then I've split that plant 3 or 4 times and have sold them off so now I'm harvesting Stevia for free. 
I keep it like a houseplant since Western New York Winters kill it.
I really need to work @ dehydrating & grinding it for baking since the cost of splenda even the store brands has gotten expensive. 
What is it that those of you who dislike Stevia dried & powdered dislike ? Does it taste worse than or comparable to the taste of splenda ?

I bought the Truvia brand a few months ago when I had cash & coupons -really enjoyed it in my coffee. Now I just use a mangled up leaf or two pulled off my Stevia plant.


~~ pelenaka ~~


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## BoldViolet (Feb 5, 2009)

I made mine into extract:

http://www.knightsanddreams.com/blog/2010/stevia-extract/


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

*pelenaka* Anything special to keep it inside? Mine is in a pot on my patio right now. I'd love to bring it inside for the winter. Save me from buying a new plant next year.

I ended up giving my plant a good pruning. Cut off the individual leaves, then boiled them in water on the stove. Then strained it thru a jelly bag. The resulting liquid is sweet - but not overly. (I probably had way too much water in the pot.) I put 2 Tablespoons in dh's coffee this morning (he normally used 2 yellow packers). He accused me of skimping on his sugar.

It is also a dark green, almost black color. Not sure how attractive it will be in lemonaid - but I'm willing to try it. I need to get to a grocery store and get some lemons first.

Maybe I'll try soaking the leaves in vodka first next time. Or maybe I'll try rough chopping them.


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