Organic Farming Takes on New Meaning
at Dos Brisas in the Heart of Texas
 These days, a top chef is expected
to use only the best organic, fresh-picked produce in his or her creations.
Most shop at farmer’s markets, a few have a garden patch out the back door.
But Chef Jason Robinson of the Inn at Dos Brisas, in the heart of Texas
between Austin and Houston, has the ideal. The inn sits on over 300 acres
and approximately two of them are dedicated to the intensive farming of
nearly all the produce served at the inn's award-winning restaurant. The
gardens, orchard, and greenhouse are lovingly planned and tended by their
own staff, which includes a Horticulturist and an Organic Production
Manager.
 To an armchair gardener like
me, it is amazing to learn that there could be more than 150 varieties of
tomatoes. Fortunately for their guests, Dos Brisas Organic Production
Manager, Richard Kouyoumjian, is an expert. This summer, he has planted an
incredible 124 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, with names like Ivory Egg and
Lemon Drop. But that’s not all. He still has time to tend 463 other tasty
vegetables, including five varieties of asparagus, thirteen of beets, three
of brussels sprouts, and twenty four of carrots. Not to mention six
different kinds of melons, ten distinct varieties of watermelon and five
different pumpkins, eighteen varieties of lettuce and thirteen of eggplants.
 This fall, there will be new
organic delicacies at Dos Brisas, including thirty-one micro bench varieties
of specialty greens and mushrooms. They’re also planning an apiary for honey
production. And the chef is always looking for additional varieties of
southern regional heirloom vegetables. As he points out, "heirlooms are
exactly that: they each have a story, a history, and agricultural
anthropology all their own.” Not to mention great taste!
dosbrisas.com | 10000 Champion Drive, Washington, Texas 77880
Dinner reservations: 979.277.7750 or
reservations@dosbrisas.com
Photos courtesy of simoneink
Edited by Ellen Schofield |
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