From Elizabeth Mitchell,
Your Guide to Southwest US Travel.
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Chile Harvest

In New Mexico September is the time that chile roasters pop up in grocery store parking lots, on corners, and seemingly, everywhere.

During the green chile harvest, you'll see propane-powered chile roasters running almost around the clock. As the chiles roast, you can hear them pop and crackle.Most chile vendors and supermarkets offer roasting for a fee. For visitors, it's fun to tour New Mexico towns, such as Santa Fe, just to smell the aroma of the roasting chiles!

What are Chiles? Or is it Chilis?

The Chile is actually a fruit. By definition, the chile pepper (also chili or chilli; from Nahuatl chilli via Spanish chile) is the fruit of the plant Capsicum from the nightshade family. The chiles we are talking about are grown in New Mexico, mostly in the Mesilla Valley. These chiles most likely originated in Bolivia.

Chile with an "e" at the end is the correct spelling in Spanish. Chili with an "i" at the end is the Americanized version.

Santa Fe Wine and Chile Festival

In typical Santa Fe style, this fall experience is another reason for a festival. Santa Fe throws an annual Wine and Chile Festival. The top restaurants and top vinyards are represented. Under the white tents, festival-goers discover new and inspired ways of pairing the local cuisine with wines from around the world.

Hatch Chile Festival

Chiles are the official state vegetable in New Mexico, although, like I mentioned, Chile is a fruit. Hatch, New Mexico is the self-proclaimed "Chile Capital of the World". Each Labor Day weekend, chile fantatics head to little Hatch, New Mexico for the Hatch Chile Festival! The festival occurs at the Hatch Airport, just west of town on Highway 26.

Why Hatch?

If you want to find out about Hatch chiles just visit the New Mexico Chili website. There you will find out about the science of chile. Hatch's plant breeders and botanists are most unique. Hatch is widely known as the designer chile/chili headquarters because Mesilla Valley farmers are constantly developing new breeds and various tastes to satisfy a steady throng of new converts.

They tailor-make chiles, which are then introduced to the locals and consumers from all over the US and many, many countries around the world like new car models via e-commerce and the internet.

If You Can't Go

If you can't make it to New Mexico to savor the chiles, you can order chile powders and sauces directly from Hatch. Want to be a little more adventurous? You can order fresh and dried chiles.

If you are in the Phoenix area, try Arriba Mexican Grill. Arriba Mexican Grill prides itself on serving Mexican food with that New Mexico attitude. They arrange for fresh hatch chiles to be delivered to Arizona in order to prepare their meals, making them spicier than your run-of-the mill Mexican joint where adding hot sauce gives food its flavor.