When I wrote this article I wanted people to know that a jelly can be made from the fruit of the American Beautyberry. The article is not a recipe exactly, just shows the basic steps of jelly making and shows the pretty the color of the finished jelly.
As for sugar, so many people have their own ideas about which type of sugar to use in their life, I left that part open to interpretation. Sugar in the US usually means it comes from sugar cane, but sugar can also be made from other plants such as beets, palm, coconut...the list goes on. I use a Mexican-grown sugar which is Zulka brand, minimally processed, grown on family farms - buying this sugar helps real people.
http://zulka.com/our-story/
Note: you can pay a lot of money for this if you shop on-line...or, you can just buy it where I do, at Walmart.
The amount of sugar can vary in jelly recipes and the fruit itself can vary with each batch. It is up the the jelly maker to decide. Some people do not use sugar but substitute honey - doing this will alter the taste, texture and gel set. In the article I suggested adding some apples which will help the jelly to 'set up' or to 'gel'; the apples also add some natural sweetness.
If your beautyberry bush does not produce enough fruit, I suggest first to look for some 'in the wild', and second just add apples to make up the shortage.
Please post photos of your jelly when you make it, thanks.
