I think the government concern about grass carp is their spread to areas they are not know to inhabit. Since they are used for aquatic weed control and cost about 8 bucks for each small fish, be careful where you are fishing for them since the property owner may take exception to losing them. They also do become too much of a load for many ponds after they get to larger sizes so some property owners may welcome the help in thinning them out.
I love the idea of the cherry tomatoes. Try a few blueberries too.