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.
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.
Then you’re done. I place my beautyberry jelly in the water bath canner for 10 minutes.
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.
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I would love to know what you think, Please leave me a comment! Thank you for visiting. 🙂
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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
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?
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!
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!