It's a controlled variety whereby it can be grown by license only. But your comment is about buying it not growing it which isn't really what this forum is about- that's OK with me. Apparently it's been featured a lot at Whole Foods. It's parents are Golden Delicious and Topaz. I got different info but believe it's from Japan although another source said Europe. Have you ever tasted Goldrush? Sounds like it might be similar to Opal.

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!

My experience is in the Portland and rural Longview areas. Italian prune and Bosc pear are productive and trouble-free. I have some apple trees which do extremely well, except for apple scab. I applied a few pounds of lime per tree two years ago, and the scab disappeared. Not sure if it's just a coincidence. I give my apple trees a deep irrigation in mid-August. It greatly improves fruit size and quality. Cherries are good where there are pollinators. In SW Portland, I got almost no cherries. In rural SW Washington, I get tons of cherries. Chestnut trees are healthy, but the nuts are small. Blueberries, black and red raspberries, hardy kiwis, and Aronias all do extremely well here. Blueberries need a sandy loam soil that does not dry out. The Burnt Ridge catalog is a great local source of info about fruit and nut trees.

I absolutley LOVE that part of Washington State. We went to a craft fair in Coupeville (sp?) and I told my husband they should film a movie there. Little did I know, they already had: Sandra Bullock was in it, she played a witch. And another with Ashely Judd and Tommy Lee Jones was filmed nearby. The scenery is stunning! We drove over the bridge, but I could not walk over it like my kids did. I'm terrified of heights. LOL