I challenged new gardeners and old gardeners... I found Stevia. Something I have never grown. It is the NON artificial sweetener you see on television. It is suppose to be 30x sweeter than sugar. One plant is suppose to give 1/2 pound of dried leaves. It is an annual plant and it cost $2.49 for something like 12 seeds.
I figured... I need to grow my own sweetener. The first use that came to mind was sweetening my spaghetti sauces. The Stevia along with the other herbs and perennials pictured below will go into a seed tray either tonight or tomorrow. I really recommend starting some seeds if you have never done it.
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| Stevia Herb a Garden Sweetener: Gary Pilarchik |
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| Other Herbs and Flowers for the Grow Lights: Gary Pilarchik |
Yay stevia! I tried to grow stevia last year, but had a hard time starting it from seed. I finally ordered a few seedlings instead, and they did much better than the 2 plants I managed to start from seed. Of course it was my very first attempt at growing from seed and planting a garden, so I'm sure you'll have better results. I didn't end up with 1/2 pound of dried leaves per plant, but I was happily surprised with what I did get, and it was wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYou are ahead of me with experience. I just planted it tonight. How did you use it? Just the dried leaves?
DeleteBesides grabbing a leaf right off the plant for an occasional "taste," I ended up using a dehydrator to dry my leaves. I had intended to at least use some fresh in tea, but I don't think we ever got around to it.
ReplyDeleteyou guys should use ZYVIA its amazing 100% stevia extract and wonderful product without after taste. for more you can log on to www.healthylife-nutra.com
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