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I've been growing stevia for a couple years now. I originally got 4 rooted cuttings by mail order. I understand that it is native to South America and is a relative of the mint family but obviously not nearly so vigorous as mint. Many varieties are perennial in the right climate though the root systems may loose vigor as the plants age. Taking cuttings each year is supposed to help keep you going. I've heard it is best to grow cuttings from a plant you know to be nice and sweet since growing from seed may produce plants that are not as sweet. As I said, I've been growing it for a couple years now (when I started growing it, you could not buy stevia sweeteners in the grocery store, only in health food stores as a supplement, but I've heard that the FDA has approved it now.) I have not been nearly as successful at growing it as I had hoped though I still have some growing. Some of it is in the Aquaponics system as small cuttings that seem to have taken. Any that I had left outdoors over the freeze has died back to the ground but seems to be sprouting some new growth now, I'm hoping the new growth will be more vigorous since the plants have been pretty slow to produce enough leaves for my needs. Here is how I make my own liquid sweetener from it. I harvest by pruning the plants back by about 1/2, it is best to do it just as flower buds are forming but before the flowers open. I dry these in the dehydrator. (Often I will take some cuttings from the best looking stems by cutting off most of the leaves and sticking the stems in the Aquaponic beds.) Once the leaves are dry I will strip them off the stems (I crunch them up some but I don't really powder them) and put a cup of them along with a cup of water into a french press coffee cup. I let that sit for a day or two. Then I press and drain out reserving the sweet water. Discard the spent leaves. Put another cup of dried leaves in the french press and pour the reserved sweet water over the new dried leaves. (So you are making the liquid double strong.) Let that sit for another day or so. Press and put the liquid and pour into a convenient bottle to keep in the fridge. I use about a teaspoon of the liquid in my coffee depending on how sweet the batch came out. Stevia does have a very "green" taste to it which takes some getting used to but not so bad. For hot teas one can simply put some dried leaves into the tea strainer along with the other tea ingredients. How strong or sweet the stevia is will not only depend on the particular plants the leaves came from but also when the leaves were harvested since the leaves are supposed to be at their sweetest just before flowering. Here is a link that might be useful: TCLynx

Tonia, There's a bunch of more detailed info on stevia if you serach this forum but here's the short answers: - It's a warm weather herb that's usually grown as an annual for us in the north. - The stuff you got in the store was probably stevia powder, extracted from the leaves. I find it's very strong and I don't like it as much as just crushed leaves. - I grow stevia in a 12" pot that gets put out after the last frost. For fresh use, just pick the leaves as you need them. You can munch on them to see how much sweetness is in them (in general, the closer to flowering, the sweeter the leaves). - I use the leaves both fresh and dried to sweeten teas. I find that they have sort of an earthy sweet taste with little or no bitterness that goes well in the tea mix. - You can definitely dry the leaves, crush them and save them in a sealed container for later use. If you can find a small plant that's not too expensive and you have the room, it's worth growing for a season just to see. Here is a link that might be useful: Stevia search on GardenWeb

Well, after reading all the old threads (or at least I think), I finally found this posted originally by daisyduckworth: Tender perennial in warmer climates, treat as an annual in cold areas. Grows to 80cm tall and 60cm wide. Leaves can be from 2-8cm long and 5-30mm across, with gentle serrated edges. The leaves form in whorls on the upright stems. Small white flowers, with a similar appearance to heather, come in clusters on the tips of the stems in summer and autumn. Propagate by seeds or by tip cuttings taken in summer, or root division in spring. Seeds are notoriously infertile and slow to germinate. Flowering usually occurs 54-104 days after transplanting. The plant is climatically suited to climates from temperate to sub-tropical where temperatures range between 21-43C, with an average of 24°C, but it will also grow in the tropics, where it prefers shade and will also grow in cold climates with winter protection. Plants in the ground have been noted to take minimal frosts. It is a somewhat temperamental plant and may be slow to grow at first. Even in ideal conditions, it is not uncommon for plants to die suddenly or to lose their leaves. As long as the roots are alive, the plant may regrow. Poor, loose, well drained soil is recommended. The plants need to be well-mulched so that surface feeder roots do not dry out. For gardeners in cold climates, it is recommended that plants be started in large pots so that the pot can be moved to a warm verandah in winter. In cold climates, the plant may go dormant to the ground. As stevia does not over-winter outdoors in freezing conditions, the roots are lifted in autumn and stored indoors in perlite or sand and then set outside again in spring. Stevia requires regular watering in dry periods but has poor tolerance to long waterlogging or to saline water or soils. In its natural habitat, the plant occurs naturally on acid soils of 4-5 pH but will grow well on soils up to 9 pH. Leaf yields can be increased with a moderate application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilisers. Plants also respond well to liquid seaweed as a foliage spray applied fortnightly. As soon as the plant flowers, the leaf production slows down, so it is an advantage to nip off flower buds, to encourage further leaf development. If the plant is left to flower, the tip leaves take on a slightly bitter overtone. Because of its gangly growth, plant several together for support. Plant will die if left go to flower, so it should be cut back repeatedly to prevent flowering. Harvesting: Collect leaves as required, preferably in autumn. They can be dried and powdered. Culinary Uses: Use dried, powdered leaves as a substitute for sugar. One tablespoon of stevia or less is equivalent to about 1 cup sugar. Some people notice a slight after-taste, while others do not. A liquid sweetener is made by pouring 1 litre boiling water over 1 tablespoon dried leaves and leaving to infuse. Refrigerate and use within a few days or freeze for later. To make a syrup, place 4 teaspoons dried powdered leaves in a saucepan with 2 cups water, simmer slowly for 10-15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. A teaspoon of Vitamin C powder may be added to act as a preservative. An infusion of fresh or dried leaves can be drunk as a beverage, hot or cold, or added to other herbs as a sweetener. If using fresh leaves to replace dried quantities listed above, multiply the amount 5 times. Approximately 6 large leaves chopped finely is a substitute for 1/2 cup of sugar for baking or in cooked recipes. 1 teaspoon of ground stevia is equal to 1 cup of sugar; 2 drops of liquid essence is equal to 1 teaspoon sugar. An extract can be made by combining 1 cup vodka with 3/4 cup fresh stevia leaves in a jar. Shake every day for 2 weeks, then filter through a coffee filter. Add a drop to beverages. From my own experience of growing Stevia, I've learned to remove the flowers as they appear - otherwise the plant will die down to nothing. I've also found that it's a cantankerous plant which can often die down to nothing for no apparent reason, even in ideal conditions. But you never give up on it! You can have an empty space or pot for up to a year, and then suddenly the plant will resurrect! Amazing. Sweetness can vary from 10-600 times sweeter than sugar, dependent on a range of factors from soil, climate, time of harvest and many others. It is NOT a true substitute for sugar in all recipes. It does not dissolve, it does not make a syrup. Consider it as a flavouring, much as you would vanilla. To be honest, I don't like the taste of it, or rather, the earthy after-taste it has. Some people don't mind it, though. ---------------------- Thanks for the great info! I've found that if you use the EXACT right proportion by testing and testing to find the right sweetness, that you can almost eliminate the aftertaste because using more than an average sweetness level brings out the aftertaste badly and not enough leaves the item not tasting sweet. I have also found that you need to let it sit for a couple of days in a beverage for it's sweetness to get to its full potential. If you have the right sweetness one day, a couple days later it will be much sweeter after it's been left to sit in the fridge, so either use the item you made with it immediately or plan to use less stevia than you originally would have because it will get sweeter. Also, the aftertaste can be lessened by how you harvest it. Don't let it go to flower or it increases the aftertaste. Blessings, Angela