Stevia: The French Alternative
Stevia is a herb said to be 2000 times as sweet as sugar. It can be used as a substitute for sugar in some recipes however, it does not provide the preserving & setting qualities that sugar brings nor the texture. It does provide a truly sugar-free sweet taste though! It is available from in packets from supermarkets, however organic versions are hard to find. Luckily, you can grow your own stevia plant organically at home and make your own DIY stevia sweetener from the leaves.
Plant details
Common name: Stevia
Botanical name: Stevia rebaudiana
Climate: It grows best in the warmer zones of Australia and the rest of the world.
Description: A herb with long, green leaves that when chewed taste sugary.
Uses: Border plant in a cottage garden in a herb garden make sugar free cordial, jam, sweet tea, cakes, baked goods or almost any recipe requiring a natural, sugar-free alternative.
Likes: Well drained soil full sun a warm position in winter.
Dislikes: Frosts and snow, however can be brought indoors or placed in a warm greenhouse during winter in colder areas.
Availability: Stevia is available from most nurseries Australia wide from early March. A 10cm (4″) pot would cost upwards of $19. Seeds are available year round from $4.
Stevia cordial recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of concentrated stevia tea
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 teaspoons citric acid
- 1 teaspoon tartaric acid (cream of tartar)
Method: Make the stevia tea by pouring boiling water over fresh stevia leaves and letting it stand for a couple of hours. Combine one cup of the tea with the rest of the ingredients and taste. The recipe may need to be adjusted, if the cordial is too sweet add more lemon juice and if it’s not sweet enough add more stevia tea. When you want a drink just add water like ordinary cordial.
Stevia sugar-free jam
Ingredients
- 1 cup of hot stevia tea
- 1 tablespoon of gelatine
- 1 cup of mashed stewed fruit
Method: Pour the hot stevia tea into a jar or bowl over the gelatine. Add the mashed stewed fruit and mix well. Leave the jam to set and spread it on bread. This sugar-free jam tastes good but it doesn’t keep for long. Store it for a few days ONLY in the fridge.
More: Other Jackie French ideas are available in her book ‘Making Money from your Garden’ and her many other book titles. For more visit: https://www.jackiefrench.com