Last week, I was vacationing in Canada when an interesting commercial appeared on the TV. It was an ad for the sweetener, stevia, featuring enthusiastic consumers growing plants at home. Needless to say, it caught my attention. I had heard that stevia extract came from a ‘natural’ source. But I’d never stopped to consider what that meant from a gardening perspective.

I decided to dig deeper.

STEVIA’S DEEP ROOTS

These days, stevia is best known as an alternative to sugar. But in the botanical world, it comprises a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the plant family, Asteraceae. Among all those species, however, there is only one that exhibits a high level of sweetness. Its name is Stevia rebaudiana. 

A stevia plantation in Indonesia/Photo: shutterstock.com

Stevia rebaudiana is native to Paraguay and Brazil where it has been used for centuries not only to sweeten food but also to treat various ailments and diseases. And thanks to Paraguayan chemist Ovidio Rebaudi, we know what makes it so sweet. In 1900, Rebaudi discovered that stevia rebaudiana’s leaves contained compounds called steviol glycosides. And when extracted and refined, these compounds were found to be 200 times sweeter than processed sugar.

In fact, it took only a small amount of stevia to produce the same level of sweetness as sucrose. And since humans were unable to metabolize steviol glycosides, the extract was not only calorie-free, but also didn’t raise blood sugar levels when digested. 

It’s no wonder the world jumped on the bandwagon.

IT’S NATURAL, BUT IS IT NATURAL?

Powder and dried leaves of fresh stevia

According to the latest report by IMARC Group, the global stevia market reached a value of more than USD 490 million in 2018, and it is projected to reach nearly USD 818 million by 2024. Stevia currently represents an almost 40% share of the total global sugar substitutes market. Still, it has its fair share of detractors.

Take, for instance, the way in which it’s processed. This is what the website stevia.com says about its processing:

To extract the plant’s sweetness, stevia leaves are harvested, dried and steeped in hot water. They then undergo multiple stages of filtering and centrifuging to concentrate the sweetest components of the leaf. The result is purified stevia leaf extract, ready to be sold commercially.

IMARC Global Stevia Market Report

Online, however, there is much disagreement about stevia’s suitability for food. A deeper dive reveals that although stevia leaf extract comes from a natural source (the plant), its leaves are typically processed in a lab with hot water as well as with the chemical compound, ethanol.

Adding to the confusion is that the FDA considers the highly purified form of the plant’s leaves to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). But to date, it has not approved whole stevia leaves and crude (non-purified) stevia extracts for use in food due to the lack of generally accepted specifications.

Maybe the herb is best grown and processed at home.

HOW TO GROW YOUR OWN STEVIA

Ready to follow the people in the ad and grow your own stevia? The sun-loving perennial is hardy to USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 11 and up. Like most tropical species, it thrives in hot climates and will die back in a freeze. However, it can be grown in most areas of the country as an annual. 

Leaves of stevia rebaudiana

In fact, according to Park Seed (one of the oldest seed companies on line), stevia rebaudiana adapts well to containers. They recommend planting 3 to 5 plants per pot. You can expect them to grow to around 24″ tall.

In early to mid autumn, the herb will produce bunches of tiny, tubular white flowers. But if you’re planning on harvesting fresh leaves, make sure to do so before they’ve opened. Once the flowers blossom, the leaves often adopt a bitter aftertaste.

White flowers of stevia rebaudiana

Stevia growers recommend harvesting fresh leaves in the morning when the plant’s sugar content is highest. You can eat the leaves directly off the plant or dry them and save them in airtight containers. Dried leaves are generally sweeter than fresh ones and can be ground into a granulated powder in a blender.

Dried stevia leaves

A note on cold drinks- the leaves only release their sweetness when steeped in hot water. So use fresh leaves instead as a sweet, edible garnish.