Stevia - Sugar Plant, Extract

YIELD: 1 cup

• 1 cup very hot, filtered or distilled water
• 1 cup fresh leaves, Stevia - Sugar Plant, or 1/3 cup dried crushed, Stevia - Sugar Plant, leaves.

1. Place 1 cup very hot distilled water (not boiling) into a large Mason Preserving Jar.
2. Bruise Stevia leaves in a Pestle & Mortar.
3. Add fresh or dried Stevia leaves to the hot water.
4. Place lid on jar.
5. Let it stand for a day, at room temperature.
6. Shake Stevia mixture several times during the day.
7. After 24 hours, filter through a clean coffee filter.
8. Place mixture in a clean jar with tight fitting lid. (A Dropper Bottle is best)
9. Refrigerate for up to a month or freeze for up to 6 months.
10. This can be diluted with water if necessary.

This extract can be used in place of sugar or sweetener.  It will take a little time to determine how much of the liquid to use for sweetening, due to the fact that some Stevia plants are sweeter than others.  As a rule, if you can buy a dripper bottle to pour extract into, then use sweetener 'one drop at a time', until desired sweeteness is reached.

Stevia Mint Syrup

YIELD: 1 cup

• 1 cup very hot, filtered or distilled water
• 1 cup fresh leaves, Stevia - Sugar Plant, or 1/3 cup dried crushed, Stevia - Sugar Plant, leaves.
• 1 tablespoon dried Mint, or 1/4 cup fresh crushed Mint leaves (choose from Mint list below)
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin 
• 1 tablespoon of cold water

1. Place 1 cup very hot distilled water (not boiling) into a large Mason Preserving Jar.
2. Bruise Stevia leaves in a Pestle & Mortar.
3. Add Stevia and Mint, to the hot water.
4. Place lid on jar.
5. Let it stand for a day, at room temperature.
6. Shake Stevia mixture several times during the day.
7. After 24 hours, filter through a clean coffee filter, into a saucepan.
8. Heat liquid in saucepan, but do not boil.
9. Mix gelatin with cold water,
10. Dissolve gelatin in the hot Stevia/Mint liquid in the saucepan. 
11. Pour mixture into a clean jar with tight fitting lid.
    
12. Refrigerate for up to a month.

Mint varieties: Mint - Apple, Mint - Basil Scented, Mint - Chocolate, Mint - English Spearmint, Mint - Fruit Cocktail, Mint - Mojito, Mint - Moroccan Spearmint, Mint - Orange, Mint - Peppermint, Mint - Strawberry.

This syrup is wonderful poured over fresh or frozen (thawed) fruit and also vanilla ice cream!