Stevia

[Nyboy]

Life is short for a outside cat.

 

[Smart Red]

I wish it were shorter. My granddaughter, Marissa's cat is going on 14 years old. She's the first of the three (or so) cats I don't own.

Although declawed, she has been an outdoor cat since she arrived here about 12 years ago. She is currently resting inside on my bed, watching the world pass by the patio door.

 

[Carol Dee]

@Smart Red , well it looks like you have an INDOOR cat! She may/will live longer than an outdoors cat. Ours lived to 18. Had a friend's cat live to 21 !!!!

 

[Smart Red]

Nope! She is definitely an outside cat. She is not house trained! Lucky for her, I am trained. I let her in for a catnap a few times a day and put her back out if she gets restless or jumps off the bed.

I just started feeling bad for the old girl in the cold, wind, or rain so in she comes. At night, I put her in the garage where she has made herself a comfy bed.

 

[TReeves]

So are some implying that sugar from sugar canes and / or sugar beets are not organic ?????

In stores (the ones I've paid attention in) the stevia is always with the "organic" sugars like Agave and sugar in the raw. Which I don't know what makes them organic.
Sugar in the raw and brown sugar both are just fully processed sugar that have molasses added back in. Agave syrup is just difficult to make because of the way the plant must be dissected to make it.
Who knows....

 

[thistlebloom]

Life is short for a outside cat.

I agree in general, and have had some favorite cats disappear before their 5th birthday.
We currently have a senior cat who's going to be 17 or 18 this year. (We can't agree on the year she was born.) She's strictly an outdoor cat, does not want to be inside and will panic if you try to bring her in. She has a kennel heater in her bed in the cat shed and seems to be happy with the setup.

She has outlived many other cats we have had concurrently. I have no idea what makes her so resilient. Her littermate brother died in his sleep 5 years ago.

 

[so lucky]

Don't want to start a confrontation here, but speaking of sugar beets and sugar cane...If you buy "pure cane sugar" you can be fairly assured you are not getting GMO, but not necessarily organic. Sugar cane has not been modified yet, as sugar beets have.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Just to chime in on the original post.

We make stevia extract using a half gallon mason jar, about 5-6 cups of dried leaves, and vodka. Pour it all into the jar, leave it in there for 2 days, strain and use as a sweetener. You can also remove the alcohol by cooking LOW and SLOW for about 20 minutes, being careful not to boil. Store in the fridge in a dark container. I literally use 2 drops for a cup of coffee. Takes a while to get used to the taste but it's not so bad. You can also pulverize the leaves and use that as a powder in coffee, tea or even baking. Just you got to be okay with the green tinge.

 

[baymule]

Green tinge? Well, green tea is supposed to be good for you. Green coffee? Hmmm.... that might take some getting used to. Using the vodka to make extract is a good idea, thanks for sharing.

 

[Nyboy]

@baymule any thing using vodka is a good idea in my book.