How to Dry Stevia Plants
Although stevia is an ancient herb that people in tropical regions have grown for generations, gardeners in other regions are only recently learning about this interesting and versatile plant. Stevia is significantly sweeter than refined sugar and provides beneficial nutrients as it sweetens food. After you grow stevia in your home garden, harvest it and then dry the stevia plants to preserve them. Use dried stevia for making teas and for sweetening a variety of foods.
Cut 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 autumn or when the stevia plant begins to blossom. Cut the entire plant down to just above the soil level if you are growing stevia as an annual plant. Leave 6-inch-long stems growing from the crown of the plant if you are growing stevia as a perennial plant.
- Although stevia is an ancient herb that people in tropical regions have grown for generations, gardeners in other regions are only recently learning about this interesting and versatile plant.
- Leave 6-inch-long stems growing from the crown of the plant if you are growing stevia as a perennial plant.
Group two to three stems tightly together with a rubber band near the base of the stems to hang the stevia plants for drying.
Open a paper clip so that it looks like a long “S,” and hook one end of the paper clip through the rubber band holding each set of the stevia stems.
Hang the other end of each paper clip on a nail or hook in a warm and dry location. A breezy drying location hastens the drying process.
Allow the stevia stems to dry for two to three days, and then check the dryness of the leaves. Brush your hand lightly against the leaves. If the leaves feel dry and crumbly and they release from the stems easily, the stevia is sufficiently dry. If the leaves do not feel dry enough, allow the stevia to dry for two or three more days and then check it again.
- Group two to three stems tightly together with a rubber band near the base of the stems to hang the stevia plants for drying.
- If the leaves do not feel dry enough, allow the stevia to dry for two or three more days and then check it again.
Alternatively, place the fresh stevia stems onto trays in a food dehydrator, making sure the stems do not touch. Set the dehydrator to a temperature of approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and allow the stevia to dry for approximately two hours. Check the drying progress after this time; if the leaves are dry and crumbly, they are sufficiently dry.
Remove the dried leaves from the stems after they are dry. Reserve the leaves and discard the stems (the stems are not sweet). Store the leaves in a covered glass jar or a sealed plastic bag at room temperature. You can store dried stevia for years.
- Alternatively, place the fresh stevia stems onto trays in a food dehydrator, making sure the stems do not touch.
Tip
Stevia has the greatest degree of sweetness when you harvest it just before or as the plant begins to blossom.
Related Articles
References
Tips
- Stevia has the greatest degree of sweetness when you harvest it just before or as the plant begins to blossom.
Writer Bio
Kathryn Hatter is a veteran home-school educator, as well as an accomplished gardener, quilter, crocheter, cook, decorator and digital graphics creator. As a regular contributor to Natural News, many of Hatter's Internet publications focus on natural health and parenting. Hatter has also had publication on home improvement websites such as Redbeacon.
