The chemical in stevia is Stevia, it's an herb. Splenda is not an herb, nor is it made from sugar, but a by product made from the clorine that is used to whiten sugar. Safe, time will tell? It's in the same group as the other man-made sweeteners, which are causing all kinds of health problems. I find the stevia extract powder to be the best, but you only need to use a tiny bit, a tiny sprinkle for a cup of coffee.

Stevia can be quite temperamental. It can die in what seems like perfect conditions for no reason at all except to spite you. Its saving grace is that sometimes it only pretends to die and will resurrect - sometimes taking up to a year to make up its mind to do it - so if that happens to you, don't give up on it, but keep giving the occasional drink to an apparently dead plant! Certainly, it will die (or die right back) if you allow it to flower. It's not a particularly fast grower, is very slow to get going in fact, and it doesn't spread. I've never, ever had any luck propagating from my plant, though I've tried many times, using seed I've collected and cuttings. 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's dormant in winter and often loses its leaves, even here in the subtropics, which shows that it's really happiest in warmer climates. It likes regular water, but won't tolerate water-logged conditions. It can be a gangly plant, so it's a good idea to stake it to begin with, or to plant several plants close together. Once it's older, it can stand up quite nicely. In short - theoretically it should be an easy plant to grow, but in practice it presents quite a challenge. More detail (the theory part of it!): 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. 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. Plant will die if left go to flower, so it should be cut back repeatedly to prevent flowering.

I'm trying my canning this year with stevia also. I have made plenty of pie fillings with clear gel and clear gel A but will have to research how to adjust the recipe with stevia. I am only in my early 30's and had a horrible reaction to artificial sweetner about 18 months ago. I couldn't breath and was near passing out at any moment. Scariest few weeks of my life. I was looking up info online while drinking a Diet Coke and feeling my throat seize up and head start spinning more with each swallow. I haven't touched a diet drink since and it has taken me this long to detox my body of all those sweetners. They are EVERYWHERE!!!Check chewing gum, breath mints, tooth paste, cough medicine, I swear Advil is coated in it because it makes it all happen again when I take one of those. My sister went through a period of being diagnosed with early stages of MS. She was also a Diet Coke drinker. She hasn't had a problem in months and the doctors don't know how she was "cured". Hopefully we can get some good recipes going for canning season here. I know it is possible, I have a friend who uses stevia...I'll go check and see what she does. Good luck everyone!!

Thanks Sylvar. There are many heirloom seed places selling the seeds and plants...I just prefer the homesteader approach :) Here's what I filed away when I get to start stevia plants...may be able to help you. Stevia: 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 from temperate to sub-tropical climates where temperatures range between 21-43C, with an average of 24C, 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 its leaves. As long as the roots are alive, the plant may regrow. Poor, loose, well drained soil is recommended, and that the plants 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 fertilizers. 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.