Amédée-François Frézier Amédée-François Frézier Amédée-François Frézier (1682 – October 26, 1773) was a French military engineer, mathematician, spy, and explorer who is best remembered for bringing back five specimens of "Fragaria chiloensis", the beach strawberry, from an assignment in South America, thus introducing this New World fruit to the Old. As described by G.M. Darrow, Frézier's ancient surname was derived from "fraise", the French word for strawberry. A story relates the surname is derived from the fact that Julius de Berry, a citizen of Anvers (i.e. Antwerp), was knighted by Charles the Simple in 916 for a timely gift of ripe strawberries.
Fruit Belt Fruit Belt Fruit Belt is a term in the United States for an area where the microclimate provides good conditions for fruit growing. Fruit Belts are prominent around the North American Great Lakes region, notably West Michigan (Fruit Ridge) and western Northern Lower Michigan in tandem, and the southern shore of Lake Erie. The conditions that produce a micro-climate favorable to fruit cultivation are the same that produce lake-effect snow; therefore, Fruit Belts and snowbelts are often concurrent. The map at right shows Great Lakes snowbelts which cover a somewhat larger area than the fruit belt. Notably, there are no