Want to find out how to ID and use American beautyberries?

Published 14 days ago • 1 min read

The vibrant pink-purple clusters of berries make American beautyberry hard to miss. They also make it easy to mistake for a non-native look-alike that doesn't have the same culinary potential.

Before picking, learn the plant. American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a native Southeastern shrub whose tight berry clusters sit directly against the branch. Similar Asian beautyberries form looser clusters on visible little stems called peduncles.

Identify, grow, harvest, and use American beautyberry

Our guide shows the species' differences, explains where American beautyberry grows, and shares how to use fully ripe fruit in the kitchen.

For harvesting, wait until the whole cluster is fully purple/lilac. Skip unripe, brown, or freeze-damaged berries; take a light first pass if you have not used the plant before.

Read the American beautyberry guide

FROM BERRIES TO RECIPES

We usually cook beautyberries with water, then strain the fruit to make a concentrated juice. That bright, tart base can become tea, sauces, jellies, desserts, and more. Our son loves beautyberry jello!

Two ideas to try:

• Fermented crabapple-beautyberry cider

• Chestnut-flour crêpes with beautyberry whipped cream

Make beautyberry cider

Make the beautyberry crêpes

A NOTE ON LEAVES

Our guide also discusses the traditional use of crushed beautyberry leaves as a botanical mosquito deterrent, which modern science confirms. If you plan to use the leaves as a mosquito repellent, test a small area first because some people experience skin irritation from the leaves.

Happy beautyberry hunting,

Aaron & Susan

Cooked beautyberries being strained to make beautyberry juice

Recommended processing tool

Process beautyberries with a chinois strainer

A chinois strainer can make it easier to separate cooked beautyberry pulp and seeds when you are processing a larger harvest.

See the chinois strainer

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