Stevia

Every summer, my thoughts turn to herbs.

What would summer be without the scent of basil or mint or rosemary?

I plant basil every year not for making pesto or for drying,

but for walking by the plant 

and brushing its leaves with my hand to release the basil's aroma.

Pure bliss.

www.herbgardening.com

The photo above is lovely, but hardly representative of my herbs.

I have a row of them along the northwest side of my house.

The collection can't be called an herb garden per se

because it is a bit of a ragged affair.

But I have the antique peppermint plant that was growing 

next to my parent's farmhouse when they bought it in 1953.

And I have a rosemary plant, a bit of sage, and a small pot of oregano.

And then there is my stevia plant.

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Stevia has a most interesting history.

According to Stevia.net, stevia was a centuries-old staple 

of the Guarani Indians of Paraguay.

They called it kaa he-he "sweet herb."

Bertoni, the Italian botanist who first "discovered" and wrote about the herb

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,

noted that just a few small leaves were enough to sweeten a cup of tea or coffee.

I walk by and occasionally take a leaf  to taste its sugar,

but I've never tried to use it otherwise.

 I can attest to its sweetness. It is very, very sweet.

My plant usually blooms with tiny white flowers in August.

They are never quite as lush as these in the next photo:

www.examiner.com

Also, my plant is tall and gangly since it gets a minimum of sun.

But its sweetness makes up for its awkward appearance.

And that's a good reason to keep it.

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