EatTheWeeds: Episode 40: American Beautyberry

[auskymoe]

¯\(°_o)/¯

[EarthREALTOR]

I love this plant. It is a Texas Native. Not only beautiful but edible!

[tigerklink]

has anyone tried to make wine from them yet?

[EatTheWeeds]

@tigerklink No that I know of. They'd don't have much flavor.

[MiraCasile]

Awesome, thanks!!!

[DCrownover68]

Making jelly today from the first berries of the season...we've always used them! YEA!!

[leftunattended]

How can I tell if my bush is a japonica or Americana?

[EatTheWeeds]

@leftunattended Most of them in the wild in the US are the Americana. Also, the Japonic has much smaller leaves.

[eddieyahooable]

Do you add sugar to your berries in order for it to become jelly like?

[gelflingfaysuzanne]

my berries are still small and green but when they turn oh the jelly i will make!!!! MUWAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA­AA!!!!!!!!!!

[HighDBarFarm]

I was also told they were poison. Can't wait to make use of them :o) Thanks, I really appeciate it!

(by the way, how did the poison myth begin? Is there a look-a-like or something that contributed to this common belief?)

[EatTheWeeds]

@HighDBarFarm When man moved off the farm it was a rejection of nature, and out of that came all the wild plants toxic.

[GIJeaux1]

Thank you for the "jelly" idea. I have 12 acres covered with this stuff. I knew it was good for something. Along with my Huckleberries, blackberries, wild mushrooms and now these, I am finding all kinds of wild edibles.

[WeTheLibertyLovers]

In the Army I was taught to rub the leaves on myself and BDU's as an insect repellent. This was at Ft Polk. Then 2 years ago I attended a wild edibles class at Dr. Allen's farm in Pitkin Louisiana. He is the botanist for Ft Polk as a contractor with Environmental Management of Military Lands at Colorado State University. He said this study is being partly funded by the US Army. I use the leaves as my only repellent now. It works! Thanks for a Great video!

[teriag]

WE HAVE THESE ON OUR LAND HERE IN ARKANSAS, THEY ARE GORGEOUS AND I WAS ALWAYS TOLD THEY WERE POISONOUS, AFTER WATCHING THIS VID, I WILL TRY SOME THIS SPRING!

[skybirdbird]

i have one of these, but was told it is a japanese beautyberry... are they the same?

[EatTheWeeds]

@skybirdbird No, they are not the same. One is Callicarpa american, the other is Callicarpa japonica. The american has edible berries the japonica has leaves you can make a tea out of.

[skybirdbird]

@EatTheWeeds tkx... should the leaves be dried first or used fresh?

[hydrobell]

I made the jelly, and it tasted like sugar and not much else. I was really disappointed, especially because it was so pretty. Great color, no flavor.

[EatTheWeeds]

@hydrobell Don't most jellies takes like sugar?

[tasilbhurn]

@EatTheWeeds hahaha!

after you poured into the jars you added something else (im not much of a cook) was that water or just some unflavoured pectin juice?

~morlan

[EatTheWeeds]

@tasilbhurn I poured in hot wax, a common practice when making jelly.

[tasilbhurn]

@EatTheWeeds by the way i was laughing at the sugar comment not the wax thing. hehe

[tasilbhurn]

@tasilbhurn aah cool ok. I didnt know that. Thanks.

[digdugdiggy]

You saved the day again green bean! We have tons of these all over! YOU ROCK!

[robbycan]

i planted a beautyberry in my back yard and can't wait to try this jelly

[tamarama2012]

yum yum yum!!! bland tasting but so beautiful...the deer love them too!

[NaturalyMommy]

I have found some on the side of a busy road growing near a fence maybe a yard away from the street. would that be safe to eat?

[EatTheWeeds]

Is it up hill from the street? And if you have some there is probably more around.

[EatTheWeeds]

If up hill, or a not so travelled street, perhaps. Better, take the berries home and grow you own.

[TheDudeRulez09]

I live in S.E Texas and i live in 800 acres and these are everywhere!!!! didn't know what they were and yes thought they were poisonous, I will be utilizing these from now on!!!

[rgh259]

Saw your Video yesterday, made Jelly today. We have a Beautyberry bush in our garden and did not know what it was, It's been there about 4or 5 years. My wife took the berrys and made jelly today, we just boiled the berrys and did not crush them, when they were drained the juice it was not the color of the berrys but when we put the suger in the Jelly turned bright red. Our friends got 2 jars tonight after tasting it. Thanks for the Information.Might try the penny worts next. Dollar weed Jelly?

[EatTheWeeds]

As much as I like wild edibles, pennywort will never be jelly...trust me on that one... it is a carrot on steroids....

[Raistlin49]

I love your videos, thank you so much. Having watched this video a few times I decided to buy one. It's doing well except the leaves are yellowing and crinkling up. Is there a nutrient it's deficient in? Too much sun? Too much rain (Central FL) lately? I can't wait to see the berries and don't want it to die before I get to!

Thank you for any help you can offer.

[EatTheWeeds]

They do lose some time to time... it has been rainy.

[Raistlin49]

Wow, what a fast response! That's what I was thinking it was. Thank you! I'm very excited to see the berries up close. I also bought an Elderberry because of your videos and things I read about them.

You should teach this here locally with field trips. I'd love to learn in person.

[HeatherC19]

What do you pour on top of the jelly at the end? in every vid I see you do that.. what is it? water?

[EatTheWeeds]

Hot wax made just for the purpose. It is a common technique when making jelly, though lids work well now.

[starseed1337]

These videos are awesome , Thank You Deane

[WhyYouSo]

OMG what a beautiful plant!!!!

[EatTheWeeds]

It is striking the first time you see it.

[WhyYouSo]

This IS the first time I'm seeing it!

Thank Youuuuu!~~<3

[noweirdbeard]

Man I have been wanting to eat those since I was a kid, but NO.. My mom said they are poison.. ;)

[EatTheWeeds]

They do taste better cooked into a jelly.

[jfreesprt]

Does it keep Mosquitos away? I need something to keep these agressive Texas mosquitos away...they love me and make my life miserable in the summer!

[EatTheWeeds]

According to researchers it works as well as deet.

[Yakshinian]

Well, it looks like they grow here in Texas, too. Now, I don't know if its exactly the same, but it looks exactly the same as in this video. It does just fine in the fairly shallow limestony soil around here, at least where the soil is thicker and near water.

[EatTheWeeds]

Then you may be in for a treat!

[EatTheWeeds]

Here is the basic recipe, adjust accordingly: 1.5 quarts beautyberries, 2 quarts water, boil 20 minutes, strain to make an infusion. Use 3 cups of infusion, bring to boil, add one envelope of Sure Jell and 4.5 cups of sugar. Bring to second boil, boil two minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand until foam forms. Remove foam. Pour into sterilized jars, cap. Variation: Use 3 cups infusion and .5 cup lemon juice, 1 package of Sure Jell and 5 cups sugar.

[dazigg]

Do the leaves smell like the lantana? I like that smell...

[EatTheWeeds]

There is an odor resemblance to the Lantana

[yardsnacker]

THANKS GREEN DEANE! Made my Friday night! Love your vids!

[EatTheWeeds]

My pleasure... I tend to shy away from mentioning too much about the herbal applications for two reasons. One is litigation, and the other is that while Indians may have used a plant to treat something that does not say the plant treated the problem. Two tribes may use the same plant to treat in total a dozen problems when it may in fact only help one or two. So on video, at least, I try to sidestep that issue a little.

[yardsnacker]

The roots and berries were boiled and drunk to treat colic. The bark from the stems and roots was used to treat itchy skin.

[yardsnacker]

The roots, leaves and branches were made into a decoction that was used in sweat baths to treat both malarial fevers and rheumatism. The boiled plant parts were poured into a big pan that was placed near the patient inside a sweathouse. A similar decoction of the roots was used to treat dizziness and stomachaches. The roots of Callicarpa americana were boiled with roots from Rubus spp. to make an infusion to treat dysentery.

[yardsnacker]

found this on a flikr account: French Mulberry roots, leaves and branches of the American beautyberry were used by the Alabama, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati, Seminole and other Native American tribes for various medicinal purposes.

[EatTheWeeds]

Thank you. There is an excellent book for your area. Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and The Southwest by Delena Tull, 1999. It's comprehensive, and best of all about your area, and you can order it on line.

[ShortBusUs]

Thanks for the book suggestion, I will buy it

[deepwatertree]

another great episode Deane.

I have a question for you...I am new to foraging, and I just got two books...one HORRIBLE book from Katie Letcher Lyle (only a handful of obvious edibles such as blueberries, blackberries, & she actually lists coconut as a wild plant...cause you know, I always stumble upon those intrusive palm trees in the middle of Texas), and I got a stellar book from Bradford Angier, very comprehensive. my question is do you have a few suggestions as cross reference books? thanks

[EatTheWeeds]

The biggest problem was the guitar music which was fade in and fade out and only half as long as I needed. So I had to match them rhythmically but not have them clash musically. Took a while. Don't think I want to be a professional movie maker... The next two are Caesar Weed and Persimmons. Caesar Weed is a bit off beat, but persimmon is fairly standard.

[AirForce194]

Great video

[EatTheWeeds]

Thanks... these one-man operations sometimes take a while to get better...the one thing I am proud of in this little video, besides the content, is I made the music fit including my sounds rhythmically in the right places, pot cover, glass clink... toaster pop... I'm working two weeks ahead right now so I can pay attention to details like that. Got two more videos done.

[AirForce194]

I know what you mean about editing the video, it's annoying when you upload a video and then the video and sound aren't in sequence, can't wait to see the other videos!

[ickycan]

Wow Well done! Sure never seen anything like that up here in the north!

[EatTheWeeds]

Thank you.. by the time I get to 100 I'll have it down right...

[milt0nics]

Congratulations on your 40th video! Please keep up the good work.

[EatTheWeeds]

Thanks STARG... in your area the wild apples and concord grapes should be good now. When I was a kid -- back in the Dark Ages -- I had to walk three miles to school. My daily walk, year round, took me across a river, through an apple orchard then along an old hedgerow of concord grapes. In September and October I would always spend some time "grazing" on the fruit and then go drop a line in the river for trout. If I were lucky I'd catch one, cook it over a fire, and get home about dark.

[stargateproductions]

Good video.

[EatTheWeeds]

On my website, eattheweeds (dot com) type in beautyberry into the archive window and that will take you to a blog on beautyberries and a jelly recipe.

[dnHooligan]

i was always told that acorns are poisonous.

thanks.

[EatTheWeeds]

If you are referring to the Quercus family the word "poisonous" is relative. Most acorns have tannin in them which is an acid that has to be leached out before they are edible. The amount of tannin can vary species to species. This video here is not about oaks but the American Beautyberry, a totally different family.

[dnHooligan]

yeah. i had a longer comment, asking where it grew, but you answered it...so i deleted that part. i also gave the reason i was so interested, (mosquitos) but there was no point in leaving that, since i deleted the question. the acorn thing was just a general statement about people saying sh*t is poisonous, when it ain't...it seemed relevant, to me, for some odd reason.

[EatTheWeeds]

I almost always give the native range of a plant but it can and does grow outside that range and in other countries. As for acorns, the white oak family has the last tannins and some white oaks have none. One just has to sample around. And folks say this or that plant is poisonous because 1) that is the safe course to take 2) that is what they were told and 3) they really don't know. Oh, and 4) many times they are right.

[dnHooligan]

thanks, Deane. you're awesome.

[Khono]

Indeed, even within the same species I've heard that some are inedible or even poisonous while others are not. Especially true of plants with large ranges, I think.

[EatTheWeeds]

That's where "variety" can come into play. Dioscorea Bulbifera is a good example. Some varieties of it are edible, some are not, yet they are all Dioscroea Bulbifera. That is why studying with a local person is important.

[miro44one]

Once again an excellent video, Deane.

[EatTheWeeds]

Thanks for writing.... I really like the jelly it makes.