Foxtail-proofing minimalistic footwear

I hike exclusively in minimal shoes (or sandals). I've had good luck with the Merrell Barefoot line of shoes. The Pace Glove (too meshy for what you're looking for, like the NB minimus) and the Lithe Glove. The Lithe Glove is a tightly woven fabric that is good for keeping out trail dirt and looks like it would be pretty foxtail resistant(worn with gaiters). Not quite as cool as the more mesh-type uppers, but mine have proven pretty durable so far.

You might have to make yourself some spats. Extending the front a bit might protect the fore foot mesh.

I have also had a problem with stickers and burrs getting in my shoes. Dirty girls work great but the fabric will not hold up to some of the more aggressive weeds (yellow start thistle). I tried the mountain hardware scree gaiters which are durable nylon but they are loose on the top.

My solution was to get some leather vibram 5 fingers. While wearing socks they seal very well around the ankle, rarely does a sticker fall down there and I can usually pluck it out before it works it's way in there very far. It's like a glove around my ankles. The leather resists stickers and abrasion well.
Only problem is if you step on a nasty, thorny plan you can get thorns wedged in between the toes, and the part in between the toes in nylon, and you feel the thorns. But this really depends on where you are hiking because each individual grassland and meadow can have it's own unique mix of weeds and grasses. Mostly it's not a problem.

Of course the leather dries slower, but 10 times faster than gortex lined. In hot dry weather they dry pretty fast. Also while they can be a little hot in the summer, they breathe well enough and I've never had problems with moisture or blisters in unlined leather shoes.
We have had a dry year and all of the dead, nasty grasses and weeds are still here. Usually by this time of year after rain the green grass is back and replacing all of these. When the grass is green, there are no burrs or thorns to deal with, you can walk barefoot In sandles if you want. Nothing will get in your shoes.
So for me it makes sense to wear leather shoes in the dry season when I really need them and to switch to mesh shoes in the wet season when I don't need the leather protection.

Also if you look around you can find other leather minimalist shoes, look at the new balance minimus in leather or the merrel true glove- both recently discontinued unfortunately. Vivobarefoot has a high top shoe that would keep stuff out while wearing pants, but they are expensive and have street traction- still an option to consider though.

If you really want boot protection, go for the belleville mini mil minimalist combat boot. Very high quality and minimal.

My favorite thing is to go walking through those beautiful golden grasslands but I've been plagued with footwear issues. I hope I helped a bit.

Thinking out of the box some here…

You can get 100% dyneema protective sleeves for pretty reasonable. I'm thinking if you mod these, like make side slits in them, you might be able to make a sort of gaiter to go over part of one's shoe.

Would be truly bombproof and durable. Dyneema is like polypropylene in that the material itself absorbs practically no moisture vapor so very quick drying if not too thick, but unlike PP, it's extremely conductive and so it's going to very cooling. Speaking from experience of using them for motorcycle riding.

In Winter or cold weather, you could switch to 100% Kevelar modded sleeves, which also can be found for very reasonable (more so than the pure dyneema ones). Very warm. Best for winter because not as uv resistant as dyneema.

Regarding the "Belleville mini mil minimalist",

Less than two 2 lbs with a 5mm drop and 8" height is pretty much unheard of.

I could definitely see these as being good for some bushwhacking that I have done.

I don't know if I'd like the 8" height. I guess you could keep the tops loose for flexibility.
But some areas can really rip your ankles to shreds and this would pretty much take care of that at about the same weight as adding heavy duty protection to trail runners.

Can't offer more than commiseration and support the search. I spend a lot of time walking grass and can't tolerate mesh uppers. Only recently got some for the JMT, but only because it's "paved" the whole way. There also ought to be a law against hiking footwear without bellowed tongues. Punishment, of course, would be sock detail. :)

That's the reason I originally got the bellevilles, for bushwacking. I had to get rid of them because the weren't minimal enough… I'm real picky about that. A merrel trial glove is about as thick as I will go. But for 90% of of hikers they are just right, like a nice zero drop sneaker.

I keep hoping the bellevilles will come out with a lower cut option. They are just too high. I can never wear boots. I can't even wear ugg boots. My calves are unreasonably large. Plus that much boot would be really hot.

Maybe I'll see if I can get creative over this holiday break.

"Does anyone have any good ideas?"

Maybe pick up a real light pair of shoes for stream crossings, e.g. Vivo Barefoot Ultras or one of the super light New Balance or Inov8 shoes. The latter are often on sale at TheClymb, and Vivo's are on sale all over the place now. It would be a slight increase in hassle factor and weight, but that way you could keep your leather shoes dry and solve the foxtail problem.