Sweet herbs outside a W30

[NMG]

Thinking outside the Whole30 for a minute.

There are a range of "sweetening" herbs, the main two I'm trying to grow are sweet cicely and stevia. I don't know how to use stevia as a plant, but the sweet cicely is traditionally used to cook with e.g. rhubarb to reduce the sugar needed in the dish.

What are your thoughts on using the herb to cook with to eliminate the use of sugar?

I realise it's inappropriate during a Whole 30 in any case.

[Tom Denham]

I am not sure we would object to using sweet cicely or stevia as an ingredient in something you were cooking if you were using the actual plant itself. I've never heard of sweet cicely before, but my understanding is that stevia is not especially sweet in its natural form. As in, if you chewed a piece of stevia, you might not consider it sweet. The problem during a Whole30 is using processed stevia where the plant has been boiled, crushed, chemically treated, etc. to make it into something that looks and tastes like granulated sugar. Let me be clear, it is not okay to go to the store and buy stevia powder to sweeten anything during a Whole30, but if you are growing stevia in your yard and you want to add a few inches of the plant to your food when you cook it like you might a length of a rosemary bush, go for it.

[Adagio]

Stevia plant tastes different than processed stevia. Use sparingly.

[Moluv]

I'm taking Tom's response to mean that this tea I've been eyeballing for weeks at the healthfood store would be ok too- it's just black tea and the leaves of some hydrangea plant that happen to be sweet tasting.

[Tom Denham]

I'm taking Tom's response to mean that this tea I've been eyeballing for weeks at the healthfood store would be ok too- it's just black tea and the leaves of some hydrangea plant that happen to be sweet tasting.

Go for it.

When I make pickles, I use a bath of half apple juice and half apple cider vinegar with spices. The sweet really helps the pickles, but I don't think anyone would have their sugar dragon blow flames after eating my pickles.