Stevia: the sweet herb

Common Name: Stevia, sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, sweet honey leaf
Botanical Name: Stevia rebaudiana
Origin:  Paraguay
Family: Sunflower
Colour: Leaves, green; natural raw powder, green 
(white powdered stevia is an extracted form)
Season: Harvest leaves in autumn/fall
Store: Leaves dried whole or powdered in an airtight container

Eaten: Leaves eaten raw, infused in teas, powdered, liquid extract
Taste: Sweet

A substitute for sugar.

Interesting Facts:

• Natural leaf stevia or green powdered stevia is 20-30 times the sweetness of sucrose or sugar.
• There is a slight licorice aftertaste for some people in the processed stevia.
• White processed stevia in powdered or liquid extract is 200-300 times the sweetness of sucrose or sugar(1)
• 
Stevia is safe for diabetics to use as it doesn’t affect blood levels.
• Stevia doesn’t rot your teeth.

Vitamins and Minerals:

*Values based on 1g of Stevia
(%DV = Daily Value for an adult if consuming 2000 calories daily)
Calories 1
Fat (0%)
Cholesterol (0%)
Carbohydrates 1g

More information on stevia:
Cooking with Stevia
How to grow Stevia
How to make your own Stevia extract
How to Dry Homegrown Stevia
Part 1

Part 2

Sources:
(1) suede hill organic farm
Green Leaf Stevia Powder vs White Stevia

(2) livestrong.com side effects of stevia


Herbal Excitement

Herbs are in the house!
Fresh living green herbs. The herb garden project has begun.
What did I buy?

Bay, Lemon Grass, and Thyme…

Followed by Stevia and Oregano.
Five plants.  An odd number.
They are waiting patiently to be planted in the garden. I suppose I should water them.
The tag for Lemon Grass has “For Teas,” I wasn’t thinking tea when I thought lemon grass, I was thinking Thai food.
Oregano True Greek? What does that mean?
Stevia, I was excited about this one, as I had read fellow bloggers using it in their recipes and now I can see what it is. I wonder why it was half price?  I think perhaps it wasn’t popular as people weren’t sure what it was for.  Perhaps they need to write sweetener in brackets. Much to learn.
Now to see how much space they need and sort out where to put them…