Stevia for One

Stevia rebaudiana is a fantastically sweet little herb that was used as a sugar substitute long before the FDA finally bestowed its approval and products like Truvia subsequently started hitting grocery store shelves. Now one can even buy a certified organic stevia plant at Lowe's, fergossakes. So I did!

This one little plant provides more than enough leaves throughout the growing season to keep my tea deliciously sweet and sugar-free. It doesn't take more than a single dried leaf per cup and I only need enough for myself. Hubby doesn't like his tea sweet; he likes his tea bitter... like he likes his women.

Today I spotted a single, tiny, white flower on my stevia plant. Time to harvest!

I snipped the stems and tied 'em up with thread, then hung them from a trousers hanger in a closet to dry.














Pretty soon I'll have a bunch of crispy leaves to strip from the stems and pop into a jar. I still have some from last year's stevia plant. Maybe this year I'll start some baby plants from tip cuttings and then overwinter them in the garage for next year. Or maybe I'll forget. Meh. For now, I'm going to go make myself a nice cup of tea!