You can add freshly picked honey herb directly to dishes and drinks to give them a pleasant sweetness. If you have planted stevia in your garden or perhaps even grown it yourself from seeds, you are probably waiting impatiently for the day of the first harvest. But when can the first leaves be collected from the plant?
When and how is it best to harvest stevia?
Stevia can be harvested all year round when grown in pots. Outdoor stevia should only be harvested when it is growing vigorously. The main harvest takes place in September by shortening the plant to 10 cm and drying the branches.
The right harvest time
You can remove fresh leaves from stevia plants that you grow in pots on a warm windowsill or in a heated greenhouse throughout the year.
The situation is somewhat different with stevia that you transplanted into the garden in the warm summer months. For outdoor stevia, wait with the first harvest until the herb has gotten used to the changed outdoor conditions. As soon as the plant grows vigorously, you can continuously pick off the lowest leaves. These slightly older leaves have the highest stevioside content and therefore have the greatest sweetening power.
Harvesting shoot tips
So that the sweet herb branches strongly and does not become exhausted, you should harvest the shoot tips once a month. Then pluck the small leaves from the branches and remove all hard parts of the plant. You can also use these leaves fresh or preserve them as described in this article.
Main harvest in September
Since Stevia is not hardy, in our part of the world the plant has to be moved indoors by the end of September at the latest. Before you dig up the herb and its root ball, you should shorten it to around 10 centimeters.
These long-stemmed branches can be grouped into bunches and left to dry in a dry, warm and airy place. If you don't have a suitable space, you can also dry the main stevia harvest in the oven or a dehydrator. Carefully remove the completely dried leaves from the branches. You can store the leaves whole to make fresh stevia extract during the winter months. Alternatively, the leaves can be pulverized and used as a seasoning.
Tips & Tricks
Stevia has an enormous sweetening power, which, unlike table sugar, depends on the type of plant and the age of the leaves. Therefore, approach carefully the optimal dosage of honey herb for you.
