It comes from the mountains of Paraguay and Brazil, sweetens much more than sugar, up to more than 100 times, and can be grown in pots . Also, for diets lovers, it contains no calories . This is stevia, the green leaf that has given a crackdown to the sweetener market.
Legally, the use and self-production of stevia as a sweetener and its derivatives has been accepted by the European Union (EU Regulation No. 1131/2011 of 11 November 2011), as it has no particular contraindications.
In Italy, starting from that date, the go-ahead was also given for its marketing. Thus the green seedling, known internationally as sweetleaf or sugarleaf, appears in the windows of herbalist's shops, pharmacies or online shops, under any sort of form of sweetening product. But be careful, the natural powder is green, like its leaf!
The properties of stevia
The active ingredients of stevia are stevioside, rebaudioside A, rebaudioside C, dulcoside A.
The sweetening plant is known as stevia rebaudiana, from Rebaudi, the discoverer of its sweetening properties . In fact, more than 150 species of stevia have been described in nature, but the rebaudiana is the only one to also have important sweet properties .
Stevia, unlike sugar or other sweeteners, has the advantage of not having any calories, of not raising the blood sugar level in the blood and of being usable even at high temperatures, thus also being an excellent ingredient in the preparation of cakes, biscuits and desserts, as well as to sweeten hot and cold drinks . Consider that the tip of a teaspoon is sufficient to sweeten a cup of tea! Furthermore, stevia, not having sugars, does not contribute to the formation of plaque and dental caries .
Putting in your mouth a small fresh stevia leaf, after a few moments, you will notice a very strong and pleasant sweet sensation on the palate, what remains at the end is a very slight liquorice aftertaste.
The active sweetening ingredients are in fact extracted from the dried and dehydrated leaves . Depending on how it is used, it can be more or less sweet: stevia can be eaten both in fresh leaves and in powder form, in the form of dehydrated extract, tablets or liquid concentrate.
It should be noted, however, that not all stevia-based products on the market are so natural. Be careful to choose well and read Inci well, because they can also contain "unpleasant" components such as silicon dioxide, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, atritol and "natural" aromas.
The solution? Cultivate it by itself, here's how.
How is stevia used in the kitchen?
How to grow stevia in pots
Don't worry because it is a plant that can grow even on the well-protected vegetable garden on the terrace or balcony. First of all we need to check the period, because the best time for sowing is March-April ; then you need to get a pot and, at a well-stocked nursery or online, the seeds .
The vase should not be very large, of terracotta. Use universal soil with a bottom of expanded clay balls useful for well draining, or rather fine earth, where the seeds fall; the seeds are then covered with a thin layer of soil.
The vase must then be positioned outside, in a favorable point of the house, or rather a luminous place sheltered from the wind. Spray and spray a little water and keep the soil constantly moist. Already after about ten days, the first seedlings will appear which, as soon as they reach a certain height, will need to be divided and placed in larger vessels.
Stevia does not reach large dimensions, generally not exceeding one meter in height . To keep the plants healthy and strong, we recommend lightly covering the bases with a mulch made of shavings or straw, so as to preserve them from too hot or too cold.
When the plants are adult, they can be watered every day, avoiding stagnation but maintaining the humidity they love so much. Never expose yourself to direct sunlight.
The best time for harvesting is the end of summer, around September, as soon as the plant is about to bloom, something that usually happens in October. You can follow two paths, or you cut the whole stem at 10 cm from the base and then the leaves come off, or only the leaves from the plants come off directly, leaving possible branches and flowers. The leaves are dried for a day in the sun and then they can be ground up and used according to need.
