Fig, jujube, and persimmon because they’re excellent fruits and because it’s harder to buy them.
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price of grafted trees is a bit discouraging 30-40+$, but if you obtain just one, you could just graft it over with several varieties to find one which is fruitful in your area, and which you find best tasting. [quote=“Bhawkins, post:18, topic:8738”]
Plant, wait, eat.
[/quote][quote=“castanea, post:21, topic:8738”]
because it’s harder to buy them.
[/quote]
@Bhawkins and @castanea said it best! and persimmon is an excellent option as well.
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Boy I don’t know Clark, I see where Don3a averaged 30 lbs per bush over his four U of S bush cherry varieties, and his looked to be a maybe a tad over 6’. I’m extremely envious after reading through that Romance thread. I have the 5 producing CJ’s that are pretty darn big with the biggest going 11-12’ and the others closing in but all probably between 9-10’ and pretty close to that wide. I averaged 29.7 lbs on what look to be much larger bushes. Very happy with the production, just wish they would have done it at a more reasonable height. I’m going to prune them as well as open them up some late winter. But seeing the pictures of what Don3a has going on up there, and hearing of the production, that’s more what I was hoping for. Very happy for Don too!
But I get what you’re saying Clark (and Bob) a small bush (even at 30# of fruit) will never make what a single Montmorency tree would.
If I were limited to three varieties I’d have to say with caveats: McIntosh apple, Redhaven peach, and probably Montmorency cherry.
The caveats:
I say Mac only because it’s been an awesome tree for us, and we like it for all purposes. But…, Empire impresses more with each passing year. (And I’m still awaiting GoldRush and Macoun…, and others)
I say Redhaven now, but maybe I’ll get fruit from Madison, PF17, or Intrepid this year and have a change of heart. (…or Reliance, Contender, Indian Free or PF24c next year) But the fresh RH off the tree last year was pure heaven for someone not living in the heart of peach country
I say Montmorency because they’re hearty and reliable plus have a large enough pit to use a pitter on. (Otherwise I’d say Early Richmond, it’s prolific and the taste is other worldly, but that tiny pit… 22 years of that’s a good plenty) And I’ll possibly have Crimson Passion fruiting this year, and Juliet next year so…
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Bob, you might have been joking there–or are you saying you can actually get a pear graft onto an apple tree? I had heard it was only the other way around (and there’s no good reason to put an apple on a pear tree in my view 
). I’ve got some Winter Banana grafts on my Gravenstein, and I find Winter Banana so boring, I was going to graft over with different apples, but if I could get a Butirra Precoce Morettini or something on it…or is it only an Asian pear? Probably just wishful thinking on my part!
Lizzy,
Bob was serious winter banana apple is graft compatible to almost anything including perhaps pears in certain cases. See this post I started in 2015 Interstem aka interstock Pear Grafting. You might also be interested in this post where I top worked some difficult pears Top working Pears weather permitting. I really like @fruitnut approach to t-budding. I’m going to use the approach a lot in the future since it was very successful for me with pears T-budding tutorial. I should also mention anyone interested in multiple grafts trees should visit this post on tagging grafts An untagged pear wound up being Ayers - Been wanting that variety because I’ve had other types of tags become unreadable.
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Thanks Clark, I’ll definitely follow up on that!
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Well said Clark. Better than I would have, since I haven’t done any interstem grafting, other than a few Magness on quince, to allow non-compatible pears on the quince rootstock.
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Another thing I would mention is size of fruit which is variable by rootstock and inter stem Pear rootstocks influence on Fruit size
scott how is the fruit set on the weeping santa rosa? the raintree description says it doesnt set much fruit.
It sets really well for me, thats why I like it more than Santa Rosa. It tastes a little bit better but the setting is the main advantage. Maybe it doesn’t do so well in their weather.
Tough question…
I’d need a pawpaw, perhaps rappahanok or Susquehana (I mixed up the tags and haven’t dug up the buried ones)
A mulberry, Illinios Everbearing, though the birds have gotten 100x as much fruit as I the past few years
Lastly, it’s not a tree, but my third choice is a hardy kiwi. When ice gotten fruit off of it, it’s been well worth the wait/time/pruning frustration and all that.
I’m in zone 6b which might influence my decisions…though I will admit last fruit I picked was a Meyer Lemon this past weekend.
My pears (Asian and European)) and nectarine have been nothing but fodder for squirrels which might explain their exclusion from my list.
Scott
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Thanks to all who have responded! This is worth a great deal in regards to my fruit tree wish list and as a result I have modified it immensely. 
good to hear! how disease resistant is the weeping santa rosa? the tree looks awesome and if it handles disease im ordering one!
It is similar to Santa Rosa in terms of disease. SR is in the middle somewhere, its not a rot magnet but gets some rot and is susceptible to black knot.
Have you been able to treat the black knot? I had to rip my late santa rosa out due to that. 
Has the 3 trees changed for anyone or everyone? My top 3 change all the time!
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Interesting. And what would your top three be today?
My orchard is far from mature yet so I am still waiting to determine my top three. I sure like figs, pears and Jujubes though. Probably a mixture of them and oh yes a good America persimmons is amazing.
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I loved early golden persimmon this year. There is a small jujube I really liked I tried this year. Sweet cherries are something I’m also developing a taste for. Pears are still something I could never give up. There are also a few small apples that are exceptional. The new types of pawpaw are something I want to try.
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Persimmons are the next thing on my list to add , good to know early golden is a winner for you
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