Kitchen Garden Forum

Is anyone growing or using Stevia yet as a sweetener?
I am sick to death of being duped by farmhouse home cooked stlyi designed labels on jams and chutneys making them appear as healthy nourishment...then when you check the label closely there is 67g of sugar in every 100g of product!!!
We do not grow sugar in this country do we?? The food miles on products with sugar in (just about everything) must be very high.
I buy locally, use local honey when I can and use jam sweetened with apple juice when I can.
I would very much like to use something I can grow myself (I do not keep bees).
The last I heard, about a year ago, Stevia was allowed to be used in 'Health Food products' but not in 'General Foodstuffs'. I got the impression sugar is government controlled product that they did not want to be superseded by something they could not control.
I have some Stevia seeds (purchased from the USA) and I would like get going with them. Having a few tips if anyone else is having a bash would be good.

garden_serf wrote:We do not grow sugar in this country do we?? The food miles on products with sugar in (just about everything) must be very high.

Sugar beet

Food Standards Agency on stevia: read this.

I didn't realise we grew half our own sugar in the UK!!. That's great!
The other Stevia info makes interesting reading doesn't it.

I've had a Stevia plant for a couple of years. It seems to die off in winter if the temperature is low, but keeps going if you keep it inside. You can take cuttings from it easily.

I've been using it occasionally to sweeten herb teas, just putting half a leaf in the cup. It is very sweet and retains its sweetness when the leaves are dried.

I'm sure I haven't used enough to trigger the destruction of DNA! Also I've not given it to any male friends, so their fertility shouldn't have been affected - not that I'm bothered about that at my age!!!, although I can think of quite a few who it would be a good idea to feed bucket fulls to.

Thanks PP, good to hear from someone who has grown it here in the UK.