Few things epitomize the sweetness of summer more than farm-fresh blueberries.

Plucked one by one from lush shrubs, each berry brings with it the promise of a delicious, antioxidant-packed bite. While the taste and abundance of the unofficial summertime fruit are appealing qualities, blueberries’ versatility shifts people from general consumers to food connoisseurs. They’re great freshly picked, but blueberries also – to quote Annelle from Steel Magnolias – “freeze beautifully.”

In Alabama, peak season for blueberries runs from June through early August. U-pick farms across the state offer customers the chance to pick gallons of blueberries, which can be eaten immediately or frozen for later use. To locate a U-pick farm or farmers market, visit http://bit.ly/12wylEx.

Use blueberries in recipes, add them atop cereal or just eat them by themselves – options truly are endless. This month’s Country Kitchen features favorite recipes from “Blueberry Man” Rod Havens of Tallapoosa County. Read more about his farm, Blueberry Havens, in the August issue of Neighbors Magazine.