Ozark Garden Talk- Episode 3– Growing and Foraging Edible & Medicinal Plants

Watch the full episode on YouTube!

Episode Summary

In this episode of Ozark Garden Talk with White River Nursery, hosts Sarah McCue (Owner), Charity Cox (Event Coordinator & Plant Buyer), and Alex Royce (General Manager) discuss their favorite native and edible plants. The conversation covers everything from foraging wild foods to building a food forest at home, along with personal gardening experiments and lessons learned. They also highlight resources for learning more about wild edibles and medicinal plants.

In This Episode

Welcome & Introductions (0:00 - 1:00)

• The hosts introduce themselves and share that this is the first episode recorded at the White River Nursery location in Fayetteville.

• The shift from the library to the nursery makes recording more convenient and allows for showcasing plants during episodes.

Transitioning to a Food Forest & Medicinal Plants (1:00 - 4:30)

• Sarah shares her journey in expanding a food forest and transitioning away from traditional vegetable gardening.

• Discussion of incorporating elderberries, figs, blackberries, and culinary herbs.

• Interest in medicinal plants sparked by Hill Country Holistic and their herbal tea blends.

• Highlighted medicinal plants: Mullein, Yarrow, Dandelion, Goldenrod, Fennel, and Chamomile.

• Mimosa blooms as a surprising medicinal plant—discovered through Hill Country Holistic’s social media.

Foraging & Wild Edibles (4:30 - 7:30)

• Charity mentions her go-to foraging references:

  • EatTheWeeds.com (informative site with historical and botanical research on edible plants)

  • Eating the Ozarks (Rachel West) (Missouri-based forager with a book featuring plant identification and recipes)

• Wild edible plants are abundant—even in suburban backyards.

Arkansas-Bred Blackberries & Other Small Fruits (7:30 - 12:30)

• Ponca Blackberry - A University of Arkansas thornless variety, praised for its high sugar content and upright growth habit.

• Wild Black Currant (Ribes americanum) - A thornless native shrub with edible fruit and great fall color.

  

  Wild Black Currant (Ribes americanum)

• Golden Currant (Ribes aureum) - Features yellow flowers and fruit that ripen from yellow to black.

  

  Golden Currant (Ribes aureum)

• Both currants are deer-tolerant and good for erosion control.

Adding Native Trees & Shrubs to a Food Forest (12:30 - 16:00)

• Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) - A native understory tree with fragrant leaves and fall color. The leaves can be fried and eaten!

  

  Spicebush (Lindera bensoin) in bloom

  

  Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

• Deer resistance discussed—many aromatic herbs and native shrubs naturally deter deer.

• Viburnums as a Privacy Hedge - Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum) and Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) produce edible fruit and attract wildlife.

  

  Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum

  

  Nannyberry Viburnum lentago

Traditional Vegetable Gardening vs. Perennial Food Plants (16:00 - 19:00)

• Alex is sticking with a traditional vegetable garden:

  • Cherokee Purple Tomatoes, Jalapeños, Kale, and Broccoli.

  • Challenges of pest control (cabbage loopers) and balancing work with garden maintenance.

• Sarah’s shift to perennial food plants for less maintenance and year-round visual appeal.

Pawpaws: The Native Fruit That Divides Opinions (19:00 - 25:30)

• Sarah’s secret pawpaw grove discovery—her first experience harvesting a large volume.

• Alex’s family experience with growing pawpaws in a backyard setting.

• Challenges in growing pawpaws:

  • Need for cross-pollination (grafted varieties improve fruit quality).

  • Fly-pollinated (commercial growers sometimes hang meat in trees to attract flies!).

  • Prefers edge-of-woods habitat with consistent moisture.

    

    Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

Hazelnuts & Other Woody Perennials (25:30 - 30:30)

• Charity’s experience growing hazelnuts as a privacy hedge.

• Hazelnuts are multipurpose:

  • Provide edible nuts.

  • Sucker and form thickets (some permaculture growers practice coppicing).

  • Flexible branches for wattle fences.

  • Wood can be used as fuel or animal fodder.

    

    American Hazelnut (Corylus Americana)

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  Charity's Wattle fence (with former nursery star Petunia photo bomb!)

  
  

The Value of Native Berries & Pollinator-Friendly Plants (30:30 - 34:00)

• American Cranberry vs. Nannyberry vs. Rusty Blackhaw—all viburnums with edible fruit but varying taste and uses.

• Pollinator-friendly blooms make these shrubs dual-purpose for landscaping.

• Viburnums are underutilized but make excellent hedges.

  

  American Cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum)

Wrap-Up & Looking Ahead (34:00 - End)

• Acknowledgment of the many native edibles they didn’t get to discuss (Serviceberries, Crabapples, Morels).

Key Takeaways

• Perennial food forests offer long-term, low-maintenance alternatives to traditional vegetable gardening.

• Native edibles like blackberries, currants, pawpaws, and viburnums are great for both humans and wildlife.

• Foraging resources are helpful for identifying and safely consuming wild edibles.

• Pawpaws and hazelnuts require patience, but they are rewarding long-term additions to a food forest.

• Deer-resistant plants (aromatic herbs, spicebush, viburnums) are great for gardens in high-pressure deer areas.

Call to Action

• Visit White River Nursery: Stop by to see our latest plant arrivals and chat with our team about food forests and native edibles.

• Subscribe & Share: If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our podcast and share it with fellow plant lovers.

• Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for gardening tips, plant updates, and nursery events.

• Other resource links: Eating the Ozarks, Eat the Weeds, Hill Country Holistic, The Garden of Eden in Chester, AR

Thank You for Listening!

We hope you enjoyed this deep dive into native and edible plants with Ozark Garden Talk. Got questions or topic ideas? Send us a message!