Sweet tea!

Have you been looking for the perfect sweetener for your cup of tea?  I know this sounds off track, but I promise it's related.  Try Stevia.  No, I don't mean the powdery substance that comes in a box at your local supermarket.  I'm talking about the plant.  

I purchased this tiny little $3 plant, the size of a soda can, at a home improvement store about three years.  It comes up every year.  Although it dies in the winter, it pops back up in the spring as a kind of bush.  It's more like stalks, but it's usually the first to show it's face in the spring.  I noticed that if I just pop it into a hot cup of coffee, I don't notice it as well.  But once cooled, wow is that sweet.  The taste is a little unusual, but it's sweeter than sugar and zero calories.  ZERO!  Think of it.  No calories and you don't have to go to the store for it. 

 I like to make sweet tea with it.  I take mint from the garden (be careful growing mint, it can dominate your garden) one bag of regular tea (or not) and a handful of stevia leaves.  Put them all in a mixing bowl, pour hot water over and let it steep.  I wait about 10 minutes, but you can wait longer if your busy.  Strain it, and put it in the fridge to cool.  When your ready, pour over ice and AHHH!  No cal.  I even take some of the tea and make ice cubes with it, so it's not being watered down while I'm searching for the remote.  (It always rolls under the couch!)  Try it.  Let me know what you think.