Black Walnut Harvest in the Ozarks

Throughout history Ozark Mountain people have gathered black walnuts each autumn. These days, besides using the nuts in home cooking, it’s also a cash crop that gives rural people a way to make a little extra money just by picking them up off the ground and taking them to be weighed and sold. Hammons Products in Stockton, Missouri hulls, processes and sells millions of pounds of black walnuts each year. Video journalist Ed Fillmer followed walnut harvesters and families as they spent hours gathering bucket and truck loads of what they call nature’s bounty.