Well, it's taken me a while, but I've finally found a plant centre who stock and sell stevia!

Essentially, whilst UK laws make the sale of stevia as a food substance, supplement, or ingredient illegal, there seems to be nothing against the sale of a simple houseplant.

Badly timed, I know, but I'm not going to be on the UK forum for a little while (I'll still keep up my journal for those who drop by there! ), so if you'd like the address of the stockist, please feel free to drop me a note by PM and I'll gladly pass it on.

Its been hard to guage how many would prefer to avoid the chemical sweeteners if there was an option, but I hope that's of help to those who would!

Once you've got the plant, what do you DO with it to make the sweetener? I'm all up for growing the thing, but how on earth do I turn it into granules?? lol

Oops! Sorry... too many years as a herbalist!!!

You harvest the leaves, and traditionally dry them laid out on a wire tray (the kind you use to let cakes cool on), but can also use a warm (not hot; you'll burn them!) oven or grill if you're in a hurry.

Once they're dry, you simply grind them up to form a powder. I use a traditional pestle and mortar for this, but I'm sure a blender would work just as well!

Hope that helps.

Thank you!!

Can you please let me have the uk stockist that sells the stevia plant.

I initially bought some pure ground Stevia and it I thought that it was awful.
It turns the food or drink into a muddy, greeny like substance. It also has a sort of liquorice aftertaste to it.

I find that white powdered Stevia far superior in taste and more convenient to use.

This is a very old thread, and the original poster hasn't posted on the board for about 5 years.

She might have listed the info in her journal so maybe pop over there and browse to see if it is there?

I did buy some seeds from here a few years ago but my window boxes are really more like 'plant hospices' so all my plands tend to die

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/

I imagine there are other specialist nurseries who will also sell seeds if not plants if you do a google search. Maybe the Royal Horticultural Society will have a list?

I just chucked a leaf into the blender with whatever I wanted to sweeten.