The Backyard Bush
Beautyberry is a bush commonly found in your very own backyard. They are found in the U.S.A., Australia, and parts of Asia.
So if you live in one of these areas you may just find it in your backyard.
My beautyberry bush is flowering right now (Early-mid June.) Soon in mid-late fall I’ll be reaping the rewards of the berry production of this bush
I first found this bush a couple of years ago, and it caught my eye with it’s beautiful bright purple berries.
The have large clumps, with large green leaves on opposing sides of the stem. These bushes must have a great pollination technique because once you see one bush there will be many more to come.
Before eating or touching my beautyberry bush, I did what any forager should do and I researched it, identified it through many online resources, and field guides.
While I was doing my research on these beautiful berries, I found out that many people swear by using the leaves as a mosquito deterrent.
Last year, the mosquitos got really bad. Bad as in it didn’t seem to matter what kind of bug spray you used, it STILL didn’t help!
So I put my research to good use, and I rubbed the Beautyberry leaves on my skin.
Guess what? It worked!
I was working outside that day, reorganizing the shed of “crap”, and it helped to keep the mosquitos away really well but it definitely didn’t help with the pesky gnats!
Part of my research included extensive reading up on how people thought that this berry is poisonous. That’s not what I found in my research. However, I did find that some people get an upset stomach from eating these berries.
Everybody is different and processes food differently. Think of someone you know who is lactose intolerant for example not everyone has a lactose intolerance.
This may be the reason some people get upset tummies when eating beautyberry. They may just have an intolerance. Maybe their bodies are not prepared to digest it or they are allergic. Please use caution when first trying the berry!
Beautyberry Jelly Recipe
Wash the berries and remove any stems, leaves or bugs.
Place berries in a pan, and crush them with a potato masher.
Add in the water, and boil for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
Strain, keeping the liquid. I use a fine metal strainer. You need something very fine to strain out very small particles. You could also use a cheesecloth.
Place 3 cups of the liquid back in the pan add the sure jell, and the sugar.
Boil this mixture for two minutes.
Skim off foam.
Lastly, pour into your jars.
Then you’re done. I place my beautyberry jelly in the water bath canner for 10 minutes.
Beautyberry jelly may seem very thin at first, but typically after refrigeration this will improve. There is a link in the recipe for troubleshooting issues with jelly.
Beautyberry Jelly Recipe | Beauty berry Jelly
Make jelly with the backyard bush called Beautyberry! These purple berries don't taste great raw, but they make a fantastic jelly!
Ingredients
- 6 cups beautyberries
- 8 cups water
- 1 envelope of sure jell
- 4 1/2 cups sugar
Instructions
- Wash the berries and remove any stems, leaves or bugs.
- Place berries in a pan, and crush them with a potato masher.
- Pour the water into the pan, and boil for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the pulp.
- Place 3 cups of the liquid back in the pan add the sure jell, and the sugar. (You can make a second batch with the rest of the liquid)
- Boil this mixture for two minutes.
- Skim off foam.
- Pour into jars.
Notes
Is your jelly not setting up? Sometimes this happens to the best of us. First, you really want to give it some time to set. At first it may seem a little syrupy. This is totally normal. Give them a couple of days to cool and settle, then check the consistency. Check out more ways to troubleshoot jelly, if you are still having problems.
Then you’re done. I place my beautyberry jelly in the water bath canner for 10 minutes.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 20 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 174Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 4mgCarbohydrates 45gFiber 0gSugar 45gProtein 0g
For the most accurate nutritional information, you should calculate the nutritional value of each ingredient yourself. These calculations are provided by a third party and are not expected to be exact. You are solely responsible for ensuring the nutritional information you use is accurate.
My kids love my homemade jams and jellies. We add them to our biscuits, toast, and pancakes. We went a whole year without cereal. I wrote a post about How to say not to cereal and why. It gives a huge list of items you can easily serve for breakfast instead of sugary cereal!
If you’re looking to grow beautyberry in your yard, check out Today’s Homeowner’s post on how to grow it in your yard. Also, check out Fine Gardening’s video on how to prune this amazing bush.
I’d love To Know what you think!… Leave me a comment!
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Hi Kristi!
I have a white variety of a beauty berry bush. Are these also ok to make jelly from?
Gaelle
I’m sorry it took me a while. I’ve been taking a break…Oh that’s the Asian variety. I believe they can be used for jelly also, but you might want to find an expert or possibly find an Asian plant person that could answer you better.
Question: I don’t have enough berries for the recipe. I only have 3 cups. I know that jelly making is an exact science with the proper balance of sugar, extract/juice, and pectin being needed for it to set properly. Can this recipe be cut in half, with each ingredient used in this recipe halved? Thanks!
I think I tried it one time and it came out pretty thin, but it was quite a long time ago…
I found your recipe while looking online to see what these berries were. I found several bushes while out riding with the countryside with my family. When I saw that I could make jelly with them I decided to go back and pick some and see if I could do it.
I have an electric canner that my sister showed me how to use (on tomatoes) last week.
So while I was feeling brave I decided to try my first batch of jelly. These berries make a beautiful jelly!
They are a little syrupy right now like you said to they might be.
Wish me luck!
Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! I hope it turned out well! I haven’t tried an electric canner yet, sounds awesome though…
I’ve tried this recipe a couple of times now and can’t seem to get it to come out quite right. The first time I used Pomona and I think the sweetener was too much for that pectin, and it granulated pretty fast. This last time I used Ball and it only jelled a bit on the bottom of each jar. I’d really hate to toss all of this, I spent a lot of time in the woods to gather the berries. Any tips on pectin amount? I see a couple of different size envelopes of Sure-Jell so maybe I didn’t convert correctly….
Hey JM, Sorry to hear you are having issues. Getting it just right can be a real art. I find that after refrigeration I see more jelling activity.
However, if that doesn’t work you can read this troubleshooting article I’ve linked to.
The link is in the recipe area…in the notes section for more jelly troubleshooting tips!
When you say you put them in the bath canner, do you mean as when you are canning okra? Put it in the boiling water for ten minutes, take out and let jars seal?
Yes, like canning any other jam or jelly.
I’m curious…I do not eat processed white sugar so…can I use raw sugar or coconut sugar in place of it?
That’s an interesting question. I assume you probably can. However, I would research it before trying it. I will try to look into it when I get some time.
I have a few gallons of beautyberries to process, so I went searching for the best recipe and found yours! I’m going to add apples like Cooter suggested, since a neighbor had recommended adding them as well. Today is muscadine grape jelly, tomorrow is beautyberry. Living off blessings from the land!
Awesome! So glad to hear you have some productive bushes this year! If my bushes would start producing enough berries, I would love to try out the method with apples also. Come back and let me know how it goes!!!
I’m wondering if your beauty berry is a cultivated foreign variety or is naturally occurring here and does that matter. Would both be safe to eat? Thank you.
Beautyberry natively grows in America, Asia, and Australia. I don’t know where “here” is to you, so you’ll have to make that determination yourself according to your location.
There isn’t much information on the Asian or Australian varieties that I could find. So I have no clue if those are edible. We eat the American beautyberries, mostly in a jelly recipe since the berries are quite bitter raw.
Hope that helps Vivan!
My granddaughter just asked if I knew what those purple berries were, I didn’t. Found you while researching- thanks!
Awesome! Now you can tell her!
Thanks for stopping by, Connie!
Have been making beauty berry jelly for years now. And every year I refer to a different recipe.
All have been wonderful.
One twist that helps is, a couple of Granny Smith apples diced and boiled down put into the cooked berries as they are draining thru the cheeses cloth. The apples add the extra pectin needed. Berries have little of their own. A pack of sure jell is still needed, and the extra flavor of the apples is delightful.
What a great tip! I never thought about using apples before. I bet it does taste amazing! I’m going to try your tip next time!
Thanks so much for lending us your knowledge!
Hi Cooter, can you just add the cut apples to the beauty berries while they are cooking??
Thanks
Do you process your jelly immediately after putting it in the cans? Or do you leave it to set for a day first?
I love all that is homemade, labors of love through servants hearts! Thanks for sharing your posts, a friend shared the Beauty Berry jelly recipe with me. Can’t wait to try it!
Hey Holly,
Awe, labors of love. I love that!
I hope you love the jelly! I just love how it smells when you cook the berries down!
Have a great day!
~Kristi