Native Beautyberry Recipe — Florida Gardenista

Spring through early fall, you can see brilliant purple berries that are native to Florida; they’re called Beautyberries (Callicarpa americana). My grandmother always told us that these beautiful berries were poisonous and only edible to Florida wildlife, but that is just a myth. The Native Americans commonly used the Beautyberry bark, root, and leaves to repel mosquitoes and I know a few Floridians that like to make jelly using the berries.

So, I decided to explore a few recipes to see how tasty Beautyberries really are. Below I’ve shared a step-by-step way to make a small batch of Beautyberry jelly, as well as some tips on what not to do!

What Will You Need:

1.5 cups of Beautyberries
4 cups of water
3 cups of sugar
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
½ box of Sure-Jell pectin
Measuring cup
Bowl
1.5 quart saucepan with lid
Cheesecloth or Colander
Spoon or ladle
Glass canning jar with lid

How to Make Beautyberry Jelly:

First step is to find a Beautyberry bush(s) and harvest the berries. These bushes or shrubs can be found growing native in Florida mainly in wooded areas, especially close to oaks and pine trees in hardiness zones 7,8, 9, 10, and 11. It’s a good idea to scope out the area for environmental factors that could make the berries harmful to consume, like polluted water run offs nearby, near road sides where vehicles spew exhaust, or where herbicides or pesticides have been used.

American Beautyberry shrub in my yard, which is in hardiness zone 9b.

When taking the berries from the bush, it does seem easier to pull the berries towards you to remove them from the stem in one swoop. Helpful Hint :: Don’t take the easy way. I discovered a few steps further into the process that you have to remove the stems from the berries. Let’s just say that was one of the longest, and most painstaking, parts of this project. One suggestion I got from a friend was to wiggle your fingers under each cluster and the berries will fall into the bowl. This will remove the most ripe berries and leave some for the birds to snack on.

Important Side Note: Leave some of the berries on the bush for the wildlife. Birds love Beautyberries and do a good job of spreading this plant to other areas.

I found a few different Beautyberry jelly recipes online that I was going to test but soon discovered that most require several cups of the berries. Even though the bush in my yard was covered in berries, it didn’t yield enough to make a big batch and leave some for the wildlife. So, I decided to experiment and after doing some calculations I formulated my own jelly making formula.

Side Note: Make sure the berries are fully ripen before harvesting. Unripe berries can cause a change in taste or some reports of tummy aches.

Once the berries have been harvested, remove any stems or leaves and rinse the berries. I collected the berries in a big bowl so I could rinse and soak them before preparing. Soak the berries in 4 cups of water for about 10 to 20 minutes, then pour the water and berry contents into the 1.5 quart saucepan. Cover the saucepan and boil for 20 minutes. Remove the pan and let the mixture sit to cool for 20 minutes.

After cooled, strain the berries either using a cheesecloth or colander; separating the berries from the juice. Don’t dispose of the juice. You can use the bowl originally used to collect and soak the berries to keep the juice separated, just make sure it’s been cleaned.

Side note: I’ve experimented with this recipe a few different ways and found I like the jelly tastes best using a colander.

Place the separated berry juice into the saucepan, then add the Sure-Jelly (pectin), 3 cups of sugar and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. The berries will no longer be needed. Bring the latest mixture to a boil for about 2 minutes, or until it thickens.

Side note: Since this blog was originally published October 2019, I’ve had several folks reach out regarding the sugar quantity. Please keep in mind this recipe was created based off my family’s taste preference and can be considered sweet. Some folks have chosen to use half the amount of sugar (1.5 cups) or even less, but I have also heard that it gives the jelly more of a “woody” taste. It’s all about preference and remembering to have fun experimenting!

Once the Beautyberry juice has thickened and cooled, the jelly can be scooped into a jar using a spoon or ladle. Make sure the jar has a lid. Since the proper canning process wasn’t followed in this recipe, I’d recommend storing in your fridge and eating within three weeks.

One of the things you might be wondering, is why the Beautyberries weren’t used in the final creation of the jelly. In my experimental process, I found the berries can be too much for texture and taste. So, based on my personal gardenista preference, I choose not to include the Beautyberries, but just use the delicious juice.

My family and I found we really enjoyed the Beautyberry jelly on toast for breakfast. Several of my friends have also raved about using the jelly on pastries and ice cream. This was a really cool experience to be able to share a culinary delight that was handpicked from nature and made for guests to enjoy and this recipe will give you a small batch to try.

Please note>> even though this recipe was created and tasted by myself, friends, and family, Beautyberries are wild, so please use caution when choosing your berries. Some people are allergic to the leaves and berries, so please know you are making this recipe at your own risk.