In addition to local nurseries you could check out this great business called Edible Landscaping, which specializes in fruit trees. They're located in VA so most of what they carry will do well in our area. http://www.eat-it.com Juneberries/Serviceberries (amalanchier) are one of my favorite native fruits, and will do fine in some shade since they often grow in the forest. They have small red-purple berries with an edible seed inside. My husband says they taste like blueberries and I think they taste like Sweet Tarts (maybe I don't let them get all the way ripe!). The birds will love whatever you don't eat. I'll eat a pawpaw or two in the wild but the kerosene like aftertaste stops me after that, so I wouldn't plant them in my yard. Some people don't seem to be bothered by them though. Gooseberries and currants can also apparently take shade, especially afternoon shade (which side of your yard is the forest on?). Otherwise most fruit trees will do better in full sun. Figs THRIVE in my neighborhood in Takoma Park/Silver Spring. (There are so many trees within a few blocks of us, I have the theory that they're all cuttings off of one or two trees that have been passed around over the years.) I think the ones I like the best are Celeste, if I've identified them right. Animals seem to leave them alone, which is a major plus. You can dry whatever you don't eat fresh. If you've never had a fresh fig, there's nothing quite like it. I'm a huge fan. In general most folks I know seem to think apples and peaches are too high-maintenance to be worth it. I have a peach tree in my backyard that produces massive amounts of fruits but the squirrels like to eat them when they're green, so I get very few. It's kind of heartbreaking -- every year I see the number of fruits and my hopes are so high for good, fresh peaches, and it never quite comes out that way. We also have a pear tree that is not nearly as productive, but just as attractive to the squirrels. I have yet to eat a pear. I have a neighbor who grows plums somewhat successfully but loses a lot to the plum curculio bug. Mulberries grow pretty much as a weed tree in this area because birds eat so many of them and spread the seeds. I find them very tasty. You can easily feed yourself and the birds. You'd just have to stay on top of any seedlings that start coming up where you don't want them (especially along fences where birds perch). This year I have plans to plant a sour cherry. Birds are supposed to like them less than sweet cherries. We'll see. I'm also looking into Japanese persimmon. Blueberries also can do well here if you amend the soil to be acidic enough for them. You will have to fight the birds for them, too. Good luck!

Well, above ground, this year, it looks like we're headed for the best crop ever. It is true that all herbivores think that peanut plants are THE BEST. Last year my peanuts got mowed down several times, still producing more than enough for seed. This year I planted them in a spot where I have to walk by them every time I work in the garden. I've potted about 5 rabbits before they could get to them. This week I've had some little bunnies getting to my peanuts. But they are still looking pretty good. I'm growing Carwile's Virginia, which reputedly handles clay soil better than most. We have a clay based soil and I have to say that it does seem to do well here. I should take a picture of our peanut patch. Some might recall that I posted earlier that I planted the peanuts with a companion of zinnias. We'll the planting is beautiful! George Here is a link that might be useful: Carwile's Virginia Peanut

Mindimoo - LOVE it all, the pie and esp. the marble. To you, mnhockey and rmkitchen, I am weeks away from starting the big project with marble picked out (ok, just for the island but still excited) and now my contractor has disappeared. Scrambling to find someone else and keep to original timeframe as our cabinets have been ordered! Anyway, for some reason I am not panicking yet and am dreaming of the many various ways in which my NEW kitchen will function better, hoping the months of painstaking planning will pay off. Probably won't be posting a summery treat but maybe some good fall soups or gratins, or a thanksgiving turkey - god willing it will be done by then! Sorry to veer off topic but love seeing the kitchens in action!

Thanks, Writersblock. I've heard of chess pie often, and seen it, but never tasted it or seen the recipe (since I wouldn't know if it were standard). Other than the cornmeal, it looks a lot like "sugar pie". :) I don't know about Washington, but we grow walnuts in California. So I googled, and, yes, walnuts in Washington, too, in addition to the filberts, as well as top level hits for Washington Walnut Pie and Washington Nut Pie. Apparently, it's a thing. Martha's lovely Palo Alto pie is the first walnut pie I've seen, or at least remember.