Stevia / alternate sweeteners recipes ?

does anyone know how to dry stevia to use in coffee.....dried the leaves, powdered them in my speddy chopper to fine....taste terrible, just like the plant but sweet...ugh....what do you do? have some more drying ready to do ....................? G maybe I should just us leaves in a tea thing and take them out after coffee sweet, will this work....
 
I just got a new book: STEVIA- naturally sweet recipes for desserts, drinks and more, by Rita DePuydt. I found it thru Mother Earth News. Haven't had a chance to make anything in it yet, but the recipes look good.
I've got 3 plants growing in my garden right now. I have no idea what sort of yield I will get as this is my first year. I do know I have to harvest the entire plant just as the flower buds form; if I wait until the plant actually flowers it will be bitter. I figure I'll start with just drying the leaves and grinding them to a green powder and use that (Stevia has a licorice type taste to it, but in some applications that will be ok)
 
freemotion said:
Where did you get stevia so cheap??? Do tell!!!! Wait....is it the one with glycerine? Or the pure stevia extract? A lot of the ones I've seen "water" it down with glycerine to make it look cheaper.
Click to expand...
Yes it is the glycerite one. Allstarhealth.com . The price is 11.59 for 8oz.
13.79 for the pure (non glycerite). But that's before shipping charges. If you buy just one 8oz bottle, it will come to 19.74 . Still less than what you are paying. You would need to order a few other things to make up for shipping costs. And no, I am not affiliated with them.
 
Nothing fancy about drying it, but I'm not a coffee drinker. I've noticed the people that don't like it- are usually trying it in coffee. hmmmm. It may not go as well with coffee.
I like it in all my teas. I also like to nibble on a small leaf when I'm in the garden.
 
It's horrible in coffee! The new stevia/erythritol blends like Truvia might be a better bet for you.
 
Stevia is an herb. It's properties change depending on what you do with it. All herbs taste different dried versus fresh versus heated.

Stevia gets bitter when heated, very much in the way that basil gets salty if heated too fast. It does okay on slow heats. Like in a sun tea. It tastes best with fats. It's wonderful in custards and ice creams. Good in smoothies.

So yeh, not so much with the coffee. Coffee is already bitter. Ditto as a sweetener in something mostly chocolate (Chocolate pudding works, though, because it's mostly cream).
 
I just harvested a "branch" at a time usually then give them a quick rinse then shake & twirl the moisture off and let them dry in the closet. No heat. If I get fancy- I'll tie a string around the stem to hang it instead of sitting it on the shelf.
We have a dehydrator, but I don't bother for the herbs. They dry fast enough on their own.
 
dragonlaurel, I have 2 stevia plants that are beautiful (we have had PLENTY rain) the leaves a beautiful green - no buds - tall - is it now time to cut the stems and dry... I did as you did tasted one and it is sweet....the first batch is still drying so if it isn't enough it never will, when I did pulverate the leaves only to a powder in my electric chopper got a green powder that tastes like the plant but sweet...awful in coffee.. didn't throw the green powder away...will try as a sweetner in something else...am diabetic sure would have liked to use it in coffee...shoot...G

all that said: is it time to harvest the new batch of leaves...? what else do you use this green powder in? Thanks
 
Like many herbs you can simply prune the plant back, leaving enough for it to survive, and it will send out new branches for multiple harvests.
 
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