I just got a baby Stevia plant the other day from a greenhouse. I taste one of the leaves and they are not kidding about its sweetness! I did a little research and it seems there are a few ways to use it. You can put the fresh leaves straight into hot tea or what have you. You can dry the leaves in the sun or one some paper towels until completely dry, then make a powder to add to drinks or to even cook or bake with. There is also a way to make a syrup out of it. Google it, but I think it said to take the fresh leaves and soak them in a jar with a lid for 24 or 48 hours(sorry can't recall). It said it is much sweeter than sugar and to use a heaping tablespoon in a recipes as you would a whole cup of sugar. Now, I have not tested that or any of these methods, so see for yourself lol. I'm excited to experience with the plant myself. :)

1. Most people experience an "aftertaste" when they switch to stevia. After a period of time you may become accustomed to that taste, so expect some time for your taste buds to adapt to the taste. Beverages are a good place to use stevia. -Using "Sun Crystals", which is a mixture of stevia and sugar may be a good way to transition. 2. It doesn't act like sugar in baked goods: -foods won't brown like they do with sugar (Maillard reaction) -it won't feed yeast to raise dough (although the flour in yeast breads has more than enough carbohydrates in it for that) -sugar adds tenderness to baked goods, so expect to find tougher textures -you may find recipes include not only stevia, but other "sugars" like date sugar, honey, fruit, fruit juices/sauces/purees, which are all a form of "sugar". So stevia isn't always a stand-alone sweetener. 3. Be sure to check the labels of stevia products. Some of them contain fillers and sweeteners. If you are low-carbing, this may be important to you. 4. The day after... Some things may not seem as sweet as when you used sugar and often will taste sweeter the day after they are made than right out of the oven. -Cranberries, which are extremely tart, need to soak in the stevia for a period of time. The longer it soaks, the sweeter it will get, so as much as an overnight soak may help with really tart foods. -Refrigerate or freeze cookie dough sweetened with stevia for several hours - or overnight - before baking. The dough/cookies will taste sweeter. Go ahead and make the dollops of dough and freeze them for even more convenience. -Refrigerate or freeze baked goods (it works best to portion them before freezing). The lack of sugar in recipes will cause them to dry out quickly - they won't be good "keepers". 5. You will have better results if you use recipes that were designed with stevia as the sweetener. After you get accustomed to those, you will be able to alter your favorite recipes. Check out: "Stevia" by Rita DePuydt And the link below has more information and recipes. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Stevia Extract In The Raw

Thanks, Forestelves (cute name :)

oh now thats kewl! Where do you buy it so you can grow it Persian cat?