American Beautyberry

There seems to be no threads about American Beautyberry on permies. So let this be the first. I saw some on a hike in the forest & just had to pick some. Fall is their perfect harvest time. It's hard to describe the smell while picking them. Sort of a fruity citrus spicy smell. It's as unique & immediately recognizable a smell as bacon. The berries don't have much flavor raw. They are somewhat astringent like that. They make an excellent jelly though.

The leaves are said to have insect repellant properties. I tried rubbing it on my skin once with no luck. I am a mosquito magnet. I read it is much more effective when an infusion is made from the leaves.

1. Remove most stems & rinse thoroughly.
2. Add an equal amount of water as there are berries into a large pot.
3. Bring the berries to a rolling boil (use a large pot because it foams a lot at this stage) then cover & reduce to a medium simmer for 20 minutes. Some people crush the berries after they soften, others don't. I crush them to get maximum flavor.
4. Strain through cheesecloth & colander to remove the solids. The juice will look like cranberry juice.
5. Put the filtered juice back into a large pot. Turn the heat back on. Stir in 1 1/2 TBSP pectin, 1/2 TBSP lemon juice per cup of juice.
6. When it reaches a rolling boil again add 1 1/4 cup sugar per cup of juice. A pat of butter will help reduce foam but is optional.
7. Boil it hard for 1 minute, constantly stirring to keep the foam from overflowing.
8. Pour into sterilized jars, use 1/4 inch headspace, & use normal water bath canning procedures. Boil for 10 minutes.

Five cups of berries produced a gallon of jelly. It can also be made into jam by not straining out the solids & omitting the pectin. It would need to be cleaned better before cooking though.

Enjoy the wonderful flavor of the forest in fall!!!

Thank you for bringing the topic of American Beautyberry up and that photo is stunning!

I love Beautyberry and remember reading about it here.

So never say never:

https://permies.com/t/2442/beauty-berry

https://permies.com/t/148233/berry/Transfer-American-Beautyberry

https://permies.com/t/99626/plant-ID-fall-middle-Tennessee

I knew they were edible though never have I had an opportunity to taste them or make jelly.

potpourri ...that's what they remind me of, definitely unique as you say!

Yes, potpourri is a pretty close description of the smell.

Thanks Anne. I thought I had seen something about it here a few years ago but it didn't come up when I searched last night.

You might be a little too far west in the state to have them around there. But maybe there are some. They seem to prefer dappled sunlight so look in wooded areas that are not too thick with tall trees blocking all the sun.

Don't think I've heard of this one. I know mulberries and I think this is also called a "French Mulberry".

I'll be adding this to my fruit shrub collection as soon as I can find it.

Interesting! I have seen this as an ornamental but never knew it was edible.

If you live in an area where they grow once you see one specimen you will likely notice them all over. Birds spread the seeds. Most people have no idea it is edible. Pies & pudding can be made with it too. I've eaten the pie but never made it. Tasty. Never tried custard or pudding made with it.

Mike Barkley wrote:You might be a little too far west in the state to have them around there. But maybe there are some. They seem to prefer dappled sunlight so look in wooded areas that are not too thick with tall trees blocking all the sun.

Yes, I am in the wrong region for them here, though when we were working state parks in Central Texas we had them in our campsites.  At that time I did not know they were edible ... Just pretty.