Stevia

Geschützt kultivieren, da nicht frosthart!

Geerntet wird das ganze Kraut zwischen September und Oktober, jedoch spätestens vor dem ersten Frühfrost.

In getrocknetem Zustand können die Blätter über Jahre aufbewahrt und zum Kochen und Backen verwendet werden.

Prefers a sandy soil, requiring a warm sunny position. It is a short day plant, growing up to 0.6 meters in the wild and flowering from January to March in the southern hemisphere. Flowering under short day conditions should occur 54-104 days following transplanting, depending on the daylength sensitivity of the cultivar. The natural climate is semi-humid subtropical with temperature extremes from 21 to 43 C, averaging 24 C. Stevia grows in areas with up to 1375mm of rain a year. Plants are not very frost resistant, but can be grown as half-hardy annuals in Britain, starting them off in a greenhouse and planting them out after the last expected frosts.

Edible Parts: Leaves Edible Uses: Sweetener Leaves - raw or cooked. A very sweet liquorice-like flavour[K]. The leaves contain 'stevioside', a substance that is 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Other reports say that they contain 'estevin' a substance that, weight for weight, is 150 times sweeter than sugar. The dried leaves can be ground and used as a sweetener or soaked in water and the liquid used in making preserves. The powdered leaves are also added to herb teas. The leaves are sometimes chewed by those wishing to reduce their sugar intake. The leaves can also be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

None known

Heimisch: BR, Brazil, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Myanmar, Paraguay, WC-Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul); SE-Brazil (Minas Gerais); Paraguay (Amambay, Central, Concepcion); Bangladesh [I] Eingeführt: Bangladesh, JP, TW