Best Field Guides for Ozarks

Although I can identify and harvest the basics: nettles, morels, horsetail, ramps, persimmons, pawpaw, elderberry etc, I would really like to expand my knowledge and foraging for food. I have grown oysters but still do not feel confident identifying them in the wild. Please recommend youtube videos, downloadable PDFs, persons to contact for workshops and books to help with my wild edibles education.

Hi Gail,

I first read you post shortly after it went up.  I have spent a couple of hours researching and came up with nothing.  This is not entirely bad news.  You might consider developing your own guide.

Gail, if you happen to be on facebook there are many ID sites.  They are what keep me using it
Missouri Wild Mushroom Hunters

Arkansas Wild Foraging

This one is my favorite  Arkansas Mushrooms and Fungi

Lichens Connecting Arkansans

...and then there are books by StevenFoster/James Duke.  We have Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants and it is excellent and useful in the Ozarks. Steven Foster is on facebook also (lives in the Ozarks) and you can 'follow' him.  

Author, photographer, consultant and lecturer, with over 44 years experience in botanicals & herbs.

 Beautiful beautiful plant, etc photography with ID.

Billy Joe Tatum's Wild Foods Field Guide and Cookbook also.  She was quite local to us and a wonderful forager.  
The Ozark Folk Center has workshops certain times of year for herbs, check out their website in Mountain View.

I like Herbal Jedi too...he has a lot of videos on specific herbs and many are found in the Ozarks. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiB2VwnJoPDDq26pB7y4H8g  and I'm pretty sure he's on fb also.

John F Dean wrote:  You might consider developing your own guide.

I think this is a great idea!  There is certainly a lack of Ozark specific field guides.

Hi Judith

Great idea ...... I should have thought of Arkansas

Check out the Arkansas Native Plant Society

It is official.  I am dumb as a box of rocks ... now check out the Missouri Native Plant Society.

John F Dean wrote:Check out the Arkansas Native Plant Society

arkansas native plant society

thank you for posting this!
I am watching their facebook page also.