Although stevia is an ancient herbaceous plant that people in tropic regions have grown for generations , gardeners in other regions are only late check about this interesting and various plant . Stevia is importantly gratifying than elegant lettuce and provides beneficial nutrients as it sweetens food . After you grow stevia in your family garden , reap it and then dry the stevia plants to maintain them . Use dry out stevia for construct teas and for dulcify a variety of solid food .
Step 1
bring down the stevia stems from the plants with the pruning shears in late summer or early autumn . For best results , harvest the stevia before the first frost of fall or when the stevia flora commence to blossom . edit the entire works down to just above the land story if you are develop stevia as an annual plant . Leave 6 - inch - recollective staunch growing from the top of the plant if you are growing stevia as a perennial plant .
Step 2
Group two to three stems tightly together with a rubber stripe near the base of the stems to cling the stevia plants for dry .
Step 3
open up a paper cartridge clip so that it looks like a foresightful " S , " and hook one goal of the theme clip through the rubber striation hold each set of the stevia radical .
Step 4
string up the other death of each paper clip on a nail or hook in a ardent and dry location . A breezy drying location hastens the dry mental process .
Step 5
Allow the stevia stems to dry for two to three solar day , and then check the dryness of the leaf . Brush your manus light against the folio . If the folio feel dry and crumbly and they release from the stems easily , the stevia is sufficiently ironical . If the farewell do not palpate dry enough , leave the stevia to dry for two or three more days and then contain it again .
Step 6
Alternatively , place the fresh stevia stems onto trays in a food dehydrator , making sure the stem do not touch . Set the dehydrator to a temperature of some 100 degrees Fahrenheit , and set aside the stevia to dry for approximately two hours . Check the dry progress after this time ; if the leaf are dry and crumbly , they are sufficiently dry .
Step 7
Remove the dry leaves from the stems after they are wry . Reserve the leaf and discard the stems ( the stem are not sweet ) . Store the leaves in a covered glass shock or a seal plastic bag at way temperature . you may store dried stevia for year .
Tip
Stevia has the capital stage of sweetness when you harvest it just before or as the plant commence to blossom .
