6 cups ripe, clean beautyberries
1 box powdered pectin (6 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine, if desired to reduce foaming
4-1/2 cups sugar
Juice berries in a steam juicer or make juice by combining berries with 4 cups of water in a large pot and boiling for 20 minutes. Allow to cool. Pour berries through a cheesecloth lined sieve or colander into a large bowl. Mash berries to release all the juice. Reserve any cooking liquid.
Pour juice through an unlined sieve and measure out 3 cups juice. Add reserved cooking water or extra water, if necessary, to make 3 cups.
Measure sugar into a bowl.
Pour juice into a 6 qt pot. Stir in pectin. Add butter or margarine, if desired to reduce foaming. Bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
Quickly stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.
Quickly ladle jelly into sterilized jars, filling jars to 1/8” from the rim. Wipe jar rims. Cover with warm lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 5 minutes, adjusting for altitude, if necessary.
When processing time is up, turn off heat and remove canner lid. Allow jars to sit in the canner for 5 minutes. Remove jars to a cooling rack or towel covered counter and allow to cool completely.
Yield: 5 half pints
