American Beautyberry Jelly
YIELD: 4, 8 oz jars
Ingredients:
1 quart of ripe American beautyberries
3 cups of water
3 cups of sugar
1.75 oz of powdered pectin (this comes in the start kit linked below)
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
Kitchen tools:
8 quart stock pot, or something to cook your jelly mixture in
Whisk, or something for stirring
Large ladle with pour spout (or any large ladle, the pour spout just makes it easier)
Half pint mason jars (if you’re canning, you can purchase the kit below and these are included)
If canning:
12 quart stock pot, or other water bath friendly pot/canner
Ball preserving starter kit, or corresponding canning tools
Instructions:
Prep your larger stock pot for water bath canning. In case you’ve never done that before, here is a helpful how to guide published by Ball Corporation. Make sure you add the rack to the bottom of your “canner” before adding any jars.
Rinse the berries using a large fine mesh colander.
Pour the berries and 3 cups of water into the smaller stock pot.
Bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute and then turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes. Take care to stir frequently so nothing sticks to the bottom.
Strain out the berry juice into a bowl and put it back into the pot.
Stir in fresh lemon juice.
Add the sugar and stir until mostly dissolved.
Add the pectin while stirring, a little at a time so it doesn't chunk up.
Once incorporated well, bring to a boil, stirring often until it begins to thicken. Should be about 15 minutes.
Ladle into your jars & screw on the lids until wrist-tight (use one hand to screw on the lid and stop turning when the jar starts to spin on the counter).
If you don’t want to store for long term use, you don’t need to can your jelly. In this case, store in the refrigerator and eat within 3 weeks.
If you want to store your jelly for long term use, you will need to process it in a water bath canner (you can also use a pressure canner, but the instructions below are for water bath canning). In that case:
Add the jars to water bath canner/large stock pot and bring to a rolling boil.
Once boiling – set timer for 10 minutes. Adjust the boiling time based on your elevation using the “processing elevation adjustments” table found here.
Turn the stove off and let the jars sit in the pot for another 5 to 10 minutes to cool a bit before transferring to your counter.
Do not touch the jars for 12 to 24 hours; this will give your jelly time to set.
Check if your jars have sealed using this guide.
If they haven’t sealed, you’ll need to store in the refrigerator and eat within 3 weeks.
If they have sealed, remove the rings from the lids and use within one year for best nutritional value.
