Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is incredibly, almost unbelievably sweet.  One little nibble and all you taste is sweet for a long time.  It grows quite well in my garden, dying back all the way to the ground in the winter and returning every spring.  This year, the meadow voles have taken a liking to it, and for the last couple of weeks have been mowing it down as it emerged, though they’ve stopped now. It will reach perhaps a foot or two in height, and I sometimes dry it for use as a sweetener in tea.

Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) has leaves that resemble spinach, but with a very sour flavor.  I started it from seed, and it’s taken perhaps 2 or 3 years to really become established. Like stevia, it dies to the ground every winter, and is one of the three ‘spring is coming soon!’ heralds in my garden, the other two being asparagus and rhubarb.  Sorrel is great in a salad or soup, or combined with other greens, at most barely steamed – it melts away to nothing if sautéed or stir fried.

I have plans to incorporate stevia and sorrel into the herbaceous layer of the food forest, but I admit I grow them as much for their surprise factor as for their food value. Garden guests – friends, family, neighbors, and children especially – are always delighted at the sweetness and sourness of stevia and sorrel leaves.