I just yanked three huge beautyberry out.
I hate it when I plop things down and through no fault but my own...I have to destroy. Well, actually gave away...but still...
I don't make jelly but not all beautyberry shrubs are the same... I " think" the one you seek is the japonica. Some have bitter berries ...some tasteless...who knows some may be poisonous.
I did save this a few weeks back because this topic has come up before.
UPDATE: One of my students, Fred, does a lot of foraging and has lived his life in mosquito-ladened Florida. He reports: [Beautyberry’s] “jelly is awesome but I really love the beautyberry for its insect repellent properties. After learning about this from a Green Deane class and being an avid forager myself I decided to use the beautyberry as a bug repellent so it wouldn’t slow down my summer foraging (Florida summer mosquitoes can be horrible). I pretty much chopped up a plant(leaves and stems) and boiled it in a pot and let it cool and strained the brown liquid into my blender, about 1 1/2 cups. In a separate pot I warmed some organic neem oil (1 cup) with 1 ounce of beeswax until melted. Then you turn the blender on and pour in the oil mixture very slowly and it becomes a cream. I have to say hands down the best insect repellent ever! Because its a creme on july/august days one application is all you need for the entire day even when your sweating.”
It came from a book about florida edibles I believe.
Anyway, I feel certain you can find a jelly recipe in the net.
