# What have you used to sweeten Skeeter Pee ?



## NSwiner (Jun 1, 2010)

I was reading the thread where people were talking about sweetening SP for diabetics and thought it would be helpful if we had a thread about it .Be easier for people to find the info . Some people are starting to use the Stevia for a sweetener as commonly as people use Splenda .If you have used anything other then sugar to sweeten your SP could you share how much you used ,when you added it and how it turned out .Not just diabetics will find this useful but people watching thier calorie in take could use the info . 


For me I have a neighbour & my MIL that are insulin dependent diabetics that have had small samples of my SP and loved it . My favorite way to drink it mix a little sprite or similar type pop & lots of ice to it . Actually i was told by my doctor to watch sugar intake also & if I get drinking alot of SP over the summer might not be so good for me . I would only use the natural sweeteners , definitely don't want to use the artificial sweeteners at all , But that's me not everyone is like that .I would sooner take my chances with the real sugar then put those artificial sweeteners in my body ,too many side affects from them .


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## Minnesotamaker (Jun 1, 2010)

I've only use regular table sugar. But I do vary the amount in batches I make. If you've already reduced sugar in your diet, I'd think you'd need less in your SP to make it taste sweet. I know that when I reduce salt in my foods, eating regular foods can taste overly salted. I think your taste buds become accustomed to your normal habits.


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## NSwiner (Jun 10, 2010)

When I was at the garden center yesterday getting my peppermint & spearmint plants I noticed they had a stevia plant there so thought i would give it a try . I checked the internet for more info on it and i can just crush the leaves but they won't be as sweet as the bottles you buy in the store . So think I'll take some from my bigger batches and try to see how its works . So anybody that uses stevia might want to give growing it a try since it was under $4.00 for the plant .


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## Leanne (Jun 10, 2010)

Great thread! I'm an insulin dependent Diabetic and I tend to let my personal wines go dry and then back sweeten only a little. The wines I make for other people to enjoy are much more sweet than my own.
Using Stevia is a great idea too.


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## Leanne (Jun 10, 2010)

Minnesotamaker said:


> I've only use regular table sugar. But I do vary the amount in batches I make. If you've already reduced sugar in your diet, I'd think you'd need less in your SP to make it taste sweet. I know that when I reduce salt in my foods, eating regular foods can taste overly salted. I think your taste buds become accustomed to your normal habits.



This is so true. I find I don't enjoy a lot of sweet stuff at all. If I really want a glass of sweet wine or a sweet food. I just bolus a little extra insulin though. Most of the time it comes down to carbs rather than sugar though.


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## WhineMaker (Jun 10, 2010)

NSwiner said:


> When I was at the garden center yesterday getting my peppermint & spearmint plants I noticed they had a stevia plant there so thought i would give it a try . I checked the internet for more info on it and i can just crush the leaves but they won't be as sweet as the bottles you buy in the store . So think I'll take some from my bigger batches and try to see how its works . So anybody that uses stevia might want to give growing it a try since it was under $4.00 for the plant .



I've sweetened some SP with Stevia and it has come out pretty good.. Almost a hot black licorice type flavor but not in a bad way... I'll try the plant growing also.. Thanks for the heads up on that! My wife and I are getting ready to start an herb garden at home anyways..


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## Julie (Jun 10, 2010)

WhineMaker said:


> I've sweetened some SP with Stevia and it has come out pretty good.. Almost a hot licorice type flavor but not in a bad way... I'll try the plant growing also.. Thanks for the heads up on that! My wife and I are getting ready to start an herb garden at home anyways..



You will need to bring the stevia plant indoors when the weather gets cold.


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## Green Mountains (Jun 10, 2010)

We used Vermont maple syrup. 1/4 cup per gallon.

Not recommended for diabetics or those on a diet.


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## WhineMaker (Jun 10, 2010)

Julie said:


> You will need to bring the stevia plant indoors when the weather gets cold.




Cold like below freezing?? Not uncommon around here to get temp drops into the upper 30's lower 40's through end of June.. Do you think that would be okay? If I can find a Stevia plant locally, maybe I'll just try putting it in a seperate planter just in case...

Edit.. Just realized Stevia is a year round plant, will bring it indoors in the winter.. I was thinking along the lines of the herb garden being seasonal..


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## NSwiner (Jun 10, 2010)

Here's some info that might be helpful about growing & harvesting .




*Body Ecology History of use Growing Stevia Recipes and tips Order Stevia 
Sources and links BED home page Safety studies Varieties of stevia

Welcome 
Growing Stevia 
Introduction 
How to start your own stevia patch 
The care and feeding of stevia 
Gathering autumn stevia leaves 
Unlocking the sweetness in your harvest 
Growing stevia without land 
Sources for mail-order stevia plants 
You need not be a South American planter to be a successful stevia grower. While the herb's native locale may make it appear somewhat exotic, it has proved to be quite adaptable and capable of being cultivated in climate zones as diverse as Florida and southern Canada. 
True, home-grown stevia may lack the potency of refined white stevia extract; whole stevioside content generally ranges from 81 to 91 percent, as compared to a leaf level of approximately 12 percent. But it can provide you with a quantity of freshly harvested stevia 'tea leaves' to augment your supply of commercial stevia sweeteners. 
Organic gardeners in particular should find stevia an ideal addition to their yield. Though nontoxic, stevia plants have been found to have insect-repelling tendencies. Their very sweetness, in fact, may be a kind of natural defense mechanism against aphids and other bugs that find it not to their taste. Perhaps that's why crop-devouring grasshoppers have been reported to bypass stevia under cultivation. 
Then, too, raising stevia yourself, whether in your back yard or on your balcony, is another positive way you can personally (and quite legally) protest the wrongheaded government policies that have for so long deprived the American people of its benefits -- a kind of contemporary Victory Garden. 

How to start your own stevia patch 
It would be difficult, at best, to start a stevia patch from scratch 

-- that is, by planting seeds. Even if you could get them to germinate, results might well prove disappointing, since stevioside levels can vary greatly in plants grown from seed. 
The recommended method is rather to buy garden-ready 'starter' plants, which given stevia's 'growing' popularity, may well be obtainable from a nursery or herbalist in your area -- provided you're willing to scout around a bit. If you're not, or are unsuccessful in locating any, there are at least three growers of high-quality stevia who will ship you as many baby plants as you'd like. 
Keep in mind that not all stevia plants are created equal in terms of stevioside content, and, hence, sweetness. It's therefore a good idea to try to determine if the plants you're buying have been grown from cuttings whose source was high in stevioside. 
Because tender young stevia plants are especially sensitive to low temperatures, it's important that you wait until the danger of frost is past and soil temperatures are well into the 50s and 60s before transplanting them into your garden. 
Once you begin, it's best to plant your stevia in rows 20 to 24 inches apart, leaving about 18 inches between plants. Your plants should grow to a height of about 30 inches and a width of 18 to 24 inches. 


The care and feeding of stevia 
Stevia plants do best in a rich, loamy soil -- the same kind in which common garden-variety plants thrive. Since the feeder roots tend to be quite near the surface, it is a good idea to add compost for extra nutrients if the soil in your area is sandy. 
Besides being sensitive to cold during their developmental stage, the roots can also be adversely affected by excessive levels of moisture. So take care not to overwater them and to make sure the soil in which they are planted drains easily and isn't soggy or subject to flooding or puddling. 
Frequent light watering is recommended during the summer months. Adding a layer of compost or your favorite mulch around each stevia plant will help keep the shallow feeder roots from drying out. 
Stevia plants respond well to fertilizers with a lower nitrogen content than the fertilizer's phosphoric acid or potash content. Most organic fertilizers would work well, since they release nitrogen slowly. 


Gathering autumn stevia leaves 
Harvesting should be done as late as possible, since cool autumn temperatures and shorter days tend to intensify the sweetness of the plants as they evolve into a reproductive state. While exposure to frost is still to be avoided, covering the plants during an early frost can give you the benefit of another few weeks' growth and more sweetness. 
When the time does come to harvest your stevia, the easiest technique is to cut the branches off with pruning shears before stripping the leaves. As an extra bonus, you might also want to clip off the very tips of the stems and add them to your harvest, as they are apt to contain as much stevioside as do the leaves. 
If you live in a relatively frost-free climate, your plants may well be able to survive the winter outside, provided you do not cut the branches too short (leaving about 4 inches of stem at the base during pruning). In that case, your most successful harvest will probably come in the second year. Three-year-old plants will not be as productive and, ideally, should be replaced with new cuttings. 
In harsher climates, however, it might be a good idea to take cuttings that will form the basis for the next year's crop. Cuttings need to be rooted before planting, using either commercial rooting hormones or a natural base made from willow tree tips, pulverized onto a slurry in your blender. After dipping the cuttings in such a preparation, they should be planted in a rooting medium for two to three weeks, giving the new root system a chance to form. They should then be potted -- preferably in 4.5-inch pots -- and placed in the sunniest and least drafty part of your home until the following spring. 


Unlocking the sweetness in your harvest 
Once all your leaves have been harvested you will need to dry them. This can be accomplished on a screen or net. (For a larger application, an alfalfa or grain drier can be used, but about the only way an average gardener might gain access to such a device is to borrow it from a friendly neighborhood farmer). The drying process is not one that requires excessive heat; more important is good air circulation. On a moderately warm fall day, your stevia crop can be quick dried in the full sun in about 12 hours. (Drying times longer than that will lower the stevioside content of the final product.) A home dehydrator can also be used, although sun drying is the preferred method. 
Crushing the dried leaves is the final step in releasing stevia's sweetening power. This can be done either by hand or, for greater effect, in a coffee grinder or in a special blender for herbs. You can also make your own liquid stevia extract by adding a cup of warm water to 1/4 cup of fresh, finely-crushed stevia leaves. This mixture should set for 24 hours and then be refrigerated. 


Growing stevia without land 
Just because you live within the confines of an apartment or condominium doesn't mean you can't enjoy the benefits of stevia farming. This versatile plant can be grown either in pots on your balcony or any sunny spot, or else in a hydroponic unit. Stevia plants also do quite well in "container gardens." A 10" to 12" diameter container filled with a lightweight growing mix is an ideal size for each plant. A little mulch on the top will help retain the moisture in the shallow root zone. A properly fertilized hydroponic unit or container garden can provide you with as much stevia as an outdoor garden, if not more. 


Sources for mail-order stevia plants 
The Herbal Advantage is a Missouri herb supplier offering 2 1/4" pot size stevia plants ready for planting in your garden. For information and prices, call 800-753-9929, or write to them at Rte. 3, Box 93, Rogersville, MO 65742 
Richter's Herbs, a Canadian business, offers plants in 2 1/2" pots via courier to customers in the U.S. and Canada. For information and prices, you can call (905) 640-6677 or fax them at (905) 640-6641 or write them at 357 Highway 47, Goodwood, Ontario L0C-1A0 
Well Sweep Herb Farm is another source offering plants in 3" pots either via mail order or to customers who stop by. It is located at 205 Mt. Bethel Road, Port Murray, NJ 07865 or can be reached at (908) 852-5390 
Reprinted from "The Stevia Story," copyright 1997 by Donna Gates. Photos courtesy Agriculture Canada.*


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## NSwiner (Aug 21, 2010)

Just to let you know my plant is doing good and I will bring it inside for the winter after i transplant it .Don't want to bring in the bugs with it especially earwigs . See how it does over the winter . Simce I just found out this week In a diabetic now guess i will be looking other ways to sweeten my wines for sure .


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## countrygirl (Sep 5, 2010)

has anyone used frozen concentrate to sweeten/flavor skeeter pee?
the apple/pear spice will be due to be sweetened next weekend. i thought about using frozen cranberry concentrate, any thoughts?
if i used 2 cans of concentrate, how much sugar would i need to put with it?
my calculations is that one can of welch's frozen cranberry concentrate is roughly equivalent to 1 c. of sugar in grams.


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## djrockinsteve (Sep 6, 2010)

My first S.P. I sweetened with sugar. My second batch I will sweeten with a can of frozen cranberry 100% juice. I may (after seeing a commercial) sweeten some with lime and cranberry.

We'll see how it turns out.

Leanne nice to see you've returned.


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## countrygirl (Sep 6, 2010)

djrockinsteve said:


> My first S.P. I sweetened with sugar. My second batch I will sweeten with a can of frozen cranberry 100% juice. I may (after seeing a commercial) sweeten some with lime and cranberry.
> 
> We'll see how it turns out.
> 
> Leanne nice to see you've returned.



only one can steve? that's what i'm trying to figure out, is the sugar/cranberry ratio. me and hubby looked at labels, googled, and calculated. one cup of sugar has approx. 230 grams of sugar. one can of frozen cranberry concentrate is roughly the same. but if u use 6 cans of concentrate, wouldn't that overwhelm the pee???
so would u use 2-3 cans and then just sugar to sweeten?
i see testing in our future, lol


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## djrockinsteve (Sep 6, 2010)

countrygirl said:


> only one can steve?



Yeah I don't know. I have a 6 gallon batch nearing the end of fermentation. I think we will try a mini tast sampling/blending then rack into 2 sep. 3 gallon carboys to make 2 different batches.

I don't know have far a can of froz. concentrate will raise s.g. but we may soon.


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## countrygirl (Sep 6, 2010)

my pee is not due to be sweetened until next weekend...keep me posted!


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