Did You Know These 11 Fruits Grow in Michigan’s Fruit Belt?

When I think fruit, I think tropical. Florida, Hawaii, Caribbean... something with a warm climate, a beach, and palm trees. But, apparently that's not what's needed for the ideal environment to grow some of the country's most important, and consumed fruits.

Michigan actually has a large chokehold on MANY of the country's most popular fruits in its fruit belt, and who knew that such a diverse variety of fruits could grow so far north? Turns out, there's almost a dozen different types that do.

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We all know about Michigan's most common crops of fruit: Grapes, Cherries, even apples. Parts of the Lake Michigan coast, especially further north, are well known for their cherries, and even host festivals and events surrounding their harvest.

Likewise, during the fall, many apple orchards celebrate their picking seasons with ciders, donuts, fritters, and bushes for the taking.

But did you know Michigan is one of the top producers of blueberries in the country? Or that the upper Peninsula has a very specific berry - the Thimbleberry - that normally only grows no the west coast of the U.S.?

It's seriously incredible that there are at least 11 different types of fruits, and several different varieties of some of THOSE fruits, that grow here in Michigan. For instance, did you know Michigan is a top-10 producer of peaches in the U.S.? Looks like Georgia isn't all that special now, are they?

But for real, did you know all of these fruits grow right here in Michigan?