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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: manicscousers on October 13, 2009, 16:53:53

Title: stevia
Post by: manicscousers on October 13, 2009, 16:53:53
doing fine, may have some cuttings next year  :)
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: saddad on October 14, 2009, 11:01:10
Well I'm impressed Mel...  even if noone else is...  :)
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: ceres on October 14, 2009, 11:26:17
I'm impressed too!  How will you use it - dried leaves or a liquid extract.........?
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: manicscousers on October 14, 2009, 16:10:25
Thanks, saddad, I'll save you a cutting for may  ;D
Ceres, I've dried some of the leaves I took off the cuttings, when they are crumbled, they go to a grey powder so willbe using that in baking..when it's recovered from me taking cuttings, I'm going to try the extract  :)
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: flowerlady on October 14, 2009, 16:39:50
And for those of us who hadn't a clue and had to google ...

QuoteStevioside is a high intensity sweetener, 250-300 times sweeter than sucrose ... which is isolated and purified from the leaves of the Stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni),

:o wow  :o  ... do you have a sweet tooth manics ??  :-*
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: ceres on October 14, 2009, 16:43:38
Interested to hear how it works out manics.  I'm up for cutting some of the sugar out of baking, puddings etc.
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: manicscousers on October 14, 2009, 19:20:35
flo, it's just that Ray is diabetic with a sweet tooth, he uses sweeteners at the mo and if you look up aspatarme it's frightening  :o
so, I'm having a go at growing this stuff  ;D
ceres, I'll take more cuttings as it grows, in Japan they grow it in fields full  ;D
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: cjb02 on October 18, 2009, 21:24:59
how do you dry the leaves?

I have stevia in a plant pot, that is a couple of years old now, although I nibble the tips when I pass the plant and they taste nice and sweet and kinda liquorice in flavour too, I have never dried them. do they retain their sweetness and do you use them in hot drinks?
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: Sholls on October 18, 2009, 21:45:26
Looking good manics! :D

I sowed some seed in July; the plants are now 10-12cm high & loving life on my windowsill. They're fantastic little things, aphids seem to ignore them & the four legged members of my household are indifferent. :) Result!
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: manicscousers on October 18, 2009, 22:21:45
Quote from: cjb02 on October 18, 2009, 21:24:59
how do you dry the leaves?

I have stevia in a plant pot, that is a couple of years old now, although I nibble the tips when I pass the plant and they taste nice and sweet and kinda liquorice in flavour too, I have never dried them. do they retain their sweetness and do you use them in hot drinks?
I've just left them to dry on the windowsill, they crumble very easily so, when I have enough, I will use it for baking and sweetening tea  :)
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: cjb02 on October 19, 2009, 07:25:45
thanks Manicscouser

I will try that before the frosts get the last of the leaves.
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: djbrenton on October 19, 2009, 07:52:31
Do go steady with stevia. It has a certain reputation for untrustworthiness.
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: Hector on April 05, 2010, 19:43:52
What sort of germination rate are you getting. I was thinking of using this to sweeten my home made yoghurt....does is blend easy and does it work with cold puddings? 
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: manicscousers on April 05, 2010, 20:15:11
it's not from seed, Hector, it was a plant, managed to get it through the winter and am starting to take cuttings soon, I've dried the leaves, ground them up and use them in the crumble we had, I didn't get much last year, will have to have many more plants to keep up with our needs, they grow it in fields abroad, don't know if it would make it over here, I'm going to try one in the poly border , btw, it's a brownish powder but grinds up easily :)
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: pookienoodle on April 05, 2010, 20:23:03
wow
I am impressed.
I would love to grow stevia as its so expensive to buy and I too am using it instead of other sweetners as my G.P recommended it.
can you get seeds?
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: grannyjanny on April 05, 2010, 20:25:55
Nicky's seeds do it.
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: Jeannine on April 05, 2010, 20:39:57
It is in the Canadain parcel XX Jeannine
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: Hector on April 05, 2010, 21:28:50
Jeannine, the Canadian parcel has everything :) Reason I asked is I have seen plants and seed for sale but there seems to be a lot of comments on poor germination...but if its a crop elsewhere that seemed odd :)
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: allaboutliverpool on April 05, 2010, 21:44:41
I am interested to hear that a fellow GP has recommended Stevia in view of the following:-

"Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni does not have clearance to be marketed in the European Community. A recent marketing application was rejected on the basis of potential toxicity problems of one of its components, Stevioside"
Rather like recommending Cannabis!
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: Hector on April 05, 2010, 21:47:12
Not to make light...but I think all drugs have listed side effects? (said in spirit of discussion, not as a contradiction :)
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: manicscousers on April 05, 2010, 21:48:24
I'd rather use stevia instead of aspatarme..frightens the life out of me  :-\
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: pookienoodle on April 05, 2010, 22:13:55
Quote from: allaboutliverpool on April 05, 2010, 21:44:41
I am interested to hear that a fellow GP has recommended Stevia in view of the following:-

"Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni does not have clearance to be marketed in the European Community. A recent marketing application was rejected on the basis of potential toxicity problems of one of its components, Stevioside"
Rather like recommending Cannabis!

well tbh he recommended that I look up the side effects of aspartemene and the look to see if I thought that stevia would be a better alternative.

As for the Cannabis comparison I am sure we all know of people who use it for pain relief and relief from M.S symptoms.
so which is better for you Stevia or sugar?
would sugar get clearance to be marketed in the E.U if it wasn't already?
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: TommyTomato on April 06, 2010, 00:14:34
i tried to grow stevia once and it died. might try it again now tho......

thanks for reminding me about it....   :)
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: woppittess on April 07, 2010, 12:46:25
Hi all,

I planted stevia seeds last year and it has grown reasonably well all through winter. I will be planting more in the next few days.  Anyone thinking of planting them, just remember not to overwater.
Title: Re: stevia
Post by: Hector on April 07, 2010, 13:36:49
Thanks Woppitness :)