Annual Batch of Beauty Berry Jelly

Rubberhead* · 11-11-2022, 08:34 AM

I should have mentioned this earlier because the berries are best around mid-September and are not usable now but, like being a Carolina Fan, there's always next year...

Everyone that tries it for the first time usually says it's "awesome" or "outstanding". It is very unique. There's nothing like. It tastes like Christmas when I was a kid.

It's very easy to make. The hardest thing is finding enough berries. Luckily there's a half acre patch growing in the understory of a stand of mature pines on our club, away from all the trail spraying. I picked 18 cups in about 45 minutes. The last picture is a batch made from 6 cups of berries.

**fro** · 11-11-2022, 08:40 AM

Holy Shit this is fantastic. Callicarpa americana is one of my favorite plans & never thought about it being utilized this way. The deer & birds usually get our berries pretty quick once mature.

**Boduke** · 11-11-2022, 08:51 AM

Man that looks tasty. Never seen these berries before.

**Southernduck** · 11-11-2022, 09:13 AM

I have a giant beauty berry in the yard, will have to try this next fall

**Hogg** · 11-11-2022, 10:49 AM

Do you mind sharing your recipe Rubberhead?

**jfields47** · 11-11-2022, 11:05 AM

I have quite a stand of these at my farm. I'd like the recipe also if you are willing to share.

**centurian** · 11-11-2022, 11:09 AM

I see a lot of those in the woods and wondered about all that fruit hanging on them. Your jelly reminds me of Mayhaw jelly granny used to make, my favorite.

**PalmettoTrooper** · 11-11-2022, 11:23 AM

My kids grab a handful and throw at me every chance they get.

Rubberhead* · 11-11-2022, 11:43 AM

Here's what you need

6 cups beautyberries
8 cups water
1 envelope of sure jell
4 1/2 cups white cane sugar

Wash the berries and remove any stems, leaves or bugs.
Place berries in a pot,
Pour the water into the pot, and boil for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally. (I used to mash the berries but it's not necessary - boiling makes them pop)
Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the pulp - (I use cheese cloth bags I got from Amazon - there's no need to get too worried about squeezing all the liquid off.)
Place 3 cups of the liquid back in the pot
Bring to boil then add the Sure Jell pectin (this is the neat part - it's kind of brown red until the pectin is added then it blooms into a beautiful reddish color)
Bring to boil then add sugar
Bring to rolling boil for 2 minutes
Let it stand long enough for the foam to rise and get a little clunky
Skim off foam.
Pour into jars. (look up how to prepare jars for jelly canning)

Notes:
1) I tried using a semi-refined sugar (very light brown) once and made a big pot of Beautyberry syrup - not what I was trying to do...use cheap, refined white cane sugar only if you want it to gel properly,
2) It will foam a little. It really spoils the look if you don't get most of it out and I give most of this away so I want it to look nice. I use a nearly flat metal strainer with a grid size about the size of the screen on a screen porch. Once it's cooled enough that the foam gets a little clunky, gather it together into one corner of the pot and lift it out. I've started putting the foam into a separate jar because it taste just like the jelly. It just looks bad. I keep that for my wife and I. With the foam out, it will be the cleanest looking, and most pleasing color of reddish-pink jelly.
3) The recipe above will make three 3-cup batches of jelly so if you want to use it all at once, you'll need three packages of pectin and 13 1/2 cups of sugar and enough jars. If you make only one batch, have a container set aside and just keep the extra juice in the fridge until you're ready to make another batch. I've never frozen the juice so I don't know if it'd keep or not.
4) I collect the berries by cutting of the stems off the bush then holding them down in a 5 gallon bucket and stripping the berries. Cutting the stems doesn't hurt because I've heard that berries will only grow on new growth. The 5 gallon bucket makes it easy to pick out the leaves and other trash. Once the big stuff is picked out, I put water on it and run my hand through like a washing machine for a minute or two. This is way easier and quicker than it sounds.