Unlocking the sweetness in your harvest
Once all leaves have been harvested it’s required to dry them. This can be
accomplished on a net. The drying process is not one that requires excessive
heat; more important is good air circulation. On a moderately warm fall day,
stevia crop can be quick dried in the full sun in about 12 hours. (Drying
times longer than that will lower the stevioside content of the final
product.) Crushing the dried leaves is the final step in releasing stevia’s
sweetening power. The dried leaves are powdered, sieved and the fine powder
is stored in containers. This can be done either by hand or, for greater
effect, in a coffee grinder or in a special blender for herbs.
Seed Saving: Stevia goes to seed late in autumn its
first season. Seed heads are fluffy and light, and need to be grabbed before
they are blown or washed away.
To buy stevia seeds visit:
Click here
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Stevia
seed germination study