Garlic festival brings interesting ice cream flavor and other stinky treats to Waterdrinker

Of all the festivals hosted on the North Fork, only one has a reputation for being stinky—the Garlic Festival. 

Hosted annually by Waterdrinker Family Farm, it is scheduled for Sept. 13 and 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The weekend-long event celebrates the in-season vegetable used as an herb and spice for lots of dishes on local menus. 

What can visitors braving the pungent-smelling event expect?

Tons of garlic vendors, including Biophilia Organic Farm; garlic in unexpected places like ice cream, garlic-infused honey and demos on how to make it at home; the clovey produce in crocheted form; plus jewelry vendors, food trucks, live music and pumpkin picking. 

Phil Barbato, owner of Biophilia, has been growing garlic for 20 years and bringing it to the festival since its start. 

“It’s kind of confirmation of all the work I just put into the last year, that people are enjoying it,” says Barbato. “I love it.”

The garlic growing process takes about nine months, Barbato says. He starts by planting individual cloves under six inches of grass clippings in October — sprouts appearing in early spring — then harvesting the bulb come summer and hanging the crop to cure for two to three weeks. 

The festival began more than two decades ago, started by Chris and Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht, owners of Garden of Eve Organic Farm, and previous owners of the Waterdrinker Riverhead location.

“They curated a great event over 20 years ago and gained an awesome following,” says Brittney Weiss, nursery and farmstand manager at Waterdrinker. “Each year since we have taken over, we’ve strived to build upon the legacy that Eve and her family have created.”

Waterdrinker doesn’t grow their own garlic but taps into the local market, as well as using Hudson, NY-grown garlic for the weekend; the musicians and food trucks are all from the North Fork. 

Preparation for the event works a bit like a well-oiled machine, since the property and its sister location in Manorville are home to so many themed weekends. 

“We have the Lavender Festival, Pickle Festival and Honey Festival at our Manorville location and the Garlic Festival at its original home at our Riverhead location,” says Weiss. “We have been lucky enough to gain some traction in the vendor community and have met some really awesome creators. It has become fun to see all of the applications roll in and choose those we feel would be the best fit.”

Admission to the festival is $20, and that fee also gains visitors access to Waterdrinker’s field attractions like mini golf, the wooden playground, tractor pedal cards and barnyard animals. 

“It’s garlic season and Dracula season is super close, so we must deter him from visiting!” says Weiss.