Get yourself some good nursery sales catalogues to browse. Internet sites will let you request them. Don't believe all the hype, but there is useful info in them. Most of that info is also available on the net, but less fun to browse. If you have a county extension, then that is the place to find what is successful in your immediate vicinity.
I live in a comparable climate zone, and I like Stark's Jon-A-Red for eating and it is fairly early in the season. My dwarf bore a few fruit in its second year and about a dozen in its third. Arkansas Black is a great late pie apple when harvested, and a long keeper for eating raw. My spur type AB bore heavily for a couple of decades, but is now in decline. I have had the best success for perennial fruit growing with blackberries and grapes. Watermelons and muskmelons round out my fruit production. I use an old combo fruit grinder and press to juice some summer apples and later some winter pears. The old fashioned gritty winter pear appears to be nearly indestructible and bears like crazy.
You can grow pecans. I have a native pecan that began bearing typical small nuts after 20 years and now occasionally yields huge crops. A nearby pecan processor makes harvest a snap. Chances are there are varieties of large pecans that will bear sooner and are suited to your area. I picked up 170 pounds of black walnuts in the hull from two of my trees this year. Also have a walnut processor nearby who uses an expensive digital device for end point processing, but it is still inefficient. That yielded about 9 pounds of nut meats that still had to be sorted. After study of some internet comments, I may process my own in future. I have had poor success with Carpathian walnuts and squirrels think they are candy, eating green nuts, hull and all. Filberts are another good nut choice as long as you pay attention to pollination requirements and select at least two compatible varieties.
Don't overlook what Mother Nature might be providing for virtually no investment. You might be surprised at the availability of wild nuts and fruits in your area if you scout or ask around.
