The herbs in Penelope’s Garden are at peak harvest and thanks to the work of Tina Alexander, the garden’s WFS extraordinaire, you can pick up a bunch this week at the new Herb Sampling Bar.

The Sampling Bar is set up on one of the picnic tables next to the pavilion and features a wide selection of herbs available in the garden. Each jar is labeled and sharers can mix and match the plants to best suite their needs.

Many of the herbs in the PYO Herb Gardens are currently flowering (with lots of happy bees visiting) and going to seed so now is the time to harvest and dry for the upcoming winter season. This guide from the Bangor Daily News explains which drying method works best for the different types of plants. Remember to only cut from sections marked with a star and watch this video from Ember to learn how to properly harvest the herbs so that everyone can enjoy the gardens’ bounty.