- 1). Harvest your stevia plant in the late autumn, before the first frost. The longer you wait to harvest your stevia plant, the sweeter the final product may become as the cool temperatures intensify the sweet properties of the plant.
- 2). Cut the branches of your stevia plant with pruning shears, leaving about four inches at the base of the branch to help your stevia plant produce another great crop next year. If this is your second year with this plant, you'll want to replace it with a new cutting next year.
- 3). Strip the leaves off of the branches you pruned from your stevia plant. You can also add the tips of the stems to your harvest if you wish.
- 4). Lay the leaves out on a screen or net in an area with good air circulation and full sunlight. On a warm day, the drying process can be completed in as little as 12 hours. Drying times over 12 hours begin to degrade the stevioside content of your plant, making it slightly less sweet.
- 5). Crush the dried leaves in a coffee grinder. You can do this by hand as well, if you prefer. Store the stevia powder in an airtight container after grinding.
- 6). Add ¼ cup of finely chopped stevia leaves to one cup of warm water and let the mixture sit for 24 hours to create liquid stevia extract. Refrigerate the solution after 24 hours.
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