American Beauty Berry Jelly

If you are fortunate like me to live in the southeastern part of the US, you are likely to come across this beautiful native bush called the American Beautyberry. It's a rather large shrub that can be found growing naturally in open woods or partially shaded areas throughout the southeast. The sweet little pink blossoms start to appear in spring, little green clusters of berries start to form throughout the summer and in the early fall, around September for my area in North Florida, the vibrant fuchsia colored berries ripen and are ready to be harvested. 

The berries when crushed are very fragrant and have a unique lemony-citronella like scent, which is why this plant is great deterrent for mosquitoes. The berries when boiled give off a clove like smell and when made into a jelly is similar in taste to a grape jelly with hints for floral and spice. It's quite delicious! Hope you have great success with this recipe. Please feel free to leave any comments on your experiences and download our pdf version of this recipe.

Cheers, 

---

American Beautyberry Jelly.pdf

Download PDF • 446KB

INGREDIENTS

6 cups freshly picked  beautyberries

8 cups water

1/3 cup fruit pectin

4 cups sugar

2 TBSP lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Prep: Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for 10 minutes and set aside to cool and dry.

2. Harvest: Pick 6 cups of Beautyberries. Remove any leaves or stems, soak and in a bath of water, rinse and allow to dry. 

3. Place Beautyberries in a large bowl. Mash berries with a potato masher or mallet. Add the water and place in a large saucepot over medium-high heat. 

4. Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally. Watch out for burning and scrape down the pot sides to prevent any sticking. Boil the mixture until the berries turn white and soften. Allow to cool slightly. 

5. Place a piece of cheesecloth over a strainer or colander and place over a large bowl. Pour the boiled beautyberry liquid over the cheesecloth. Push the liquid through the cloth with a spoon or other utensil.

   
   

   

6. Allow the mixture to cool a little more and then twist the cloth and squeeze the remaining liquid out with your hands or mashing device.

   

7. Discard the debris. Measure the liquid and make sure there are three cups of juice, if not boil another batch of berries to add to the liquid. Note: The beautyberry mix will change from the original bright purple-pink color to brown during this process. The liquid produced will also be brown. Don't be concerned. A lovely pink color will return in the jelly state.

   

8. Wash the saucepan or in another clean one, add the three cups of beautyberry juice and the fruit pectin (and optional butter) and bring the mixture to a boil until the pectin is fully dissolved. Add the sugar and lemon juice and bring back to a boil for 10 minutes while continuing to stir so that the liquid does not burn. The liquid will begin to thicken and change color. Remove any foam, if possible (adding the butter does help with foaming, but is optional).

   
   

   

   

   
   

9. Remove and pour or ladle the liquid into desired jars, leaving around a ¼ inch open at the top. Add the ring and/or lid to the jars. Let the jelly cool and store in the refrigerator for two weeks. Alternatively, you can use the water-bath canning method to seal for longer storage.