Hatch Green Chiles

You know if you are an EE reader that we love New Mexico.  It stands to reason, then, that we love Hatch green chiles.  We try to plant at least one NuMex Big Jim pepper every year so we can have a few but the garden has been pretty sketchy this year.   Besides to be authentic Hatch NM peppers, they must be grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico.

I was super excited (to say the least) when I saw that our local grocery store would be roasting Hatch green chiles for free if you bought a 25 lb. box.   I was all in.

I arrived at the store around 12:30 on the Saturday of the event.   The line to the roasters was sooooo long.  I decided to persevere and went inside to purchase a box of mild chiles.

A cart full of peppers.

I was told that they would record names on a wait list, write your name on the box and set them back in the cooler and roast them in order.   A call would be made when you could come pick them back up.  I waited about twenty minutes just to get my name on the list.

From NM!

Then, I returned home and prepared the kitchen.  I got out the Food Saver, washed out my smaller freezing containers, and washed and sterilized jars.   And, I waited.   And waited.

At 4:30 I simply went back to the store to check.   They said I was next on the list.  Do you know it only takes about 4-5 minutes to roast chiles?   I was soon on my way but I was able to enjoy the aroma that will always remind me of New Mexico.

Roasted and ready to peel.

From five o’clock that evening until about 7:30, I peeled and seeded peppers.   Twenty-five pounds is a LOT!

That’s a very big bowl!

My sealable bags went unsealed.  No chopped chiles were placed in little containers for freezing and no jelly was made.   The big mixing bowl got covered with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for later.  I was exhausted!

I plan on making green chile jelly and will post that later.

My green chile guru is MJ at MJ’s Kitchen.   If  you’re a green chile fanatic, too, check out her post:  Green Chile Favorites.  I am making her New Mexico Green Chile Sauce for freezing.

Postscript:  I did make one batch of  green chile jelly, and two batches of MJ’s New Mexico Green Chile Sauce.  IT IS AMAZING!!!!!!   I sealed up four 1-pound bags of chopped chiles and countless smaller containers for the freezer.  It was a lot of work but I will so do this again next year!  We’ll see how far our stash goes.  I might need two boxes next year.

9 comments to Hatch Green Chiles

  • mae

    Your commitment to Hatch peppers is amazing! I always wreck the skin on my hands when I peel roasted peppers, and I’ve never been anywhere near 25 pounds. Your green chile jelly must be awesome.

    We did manage to stop in Hatch on a car trip from southern Arizona towards Albuquerque. We had the famous green chile cheeseburger, but were too timid (and not sufficiently hungry) to try the famous green chile milkshake. However, I don’t think I’d ever be as brave as you are…

    best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

  • Those roasted chilies look so amazing!! Have never seen anything like this over here.

  • 25 pounds is A LOT OF CHILE, especially to peel in one sitting. That’s probably why I spread mine roasting out over about a 6 weeks period. 🙂 I can smell that bowl of roasted chile!!!! I know you will enjoy it. And THANKS SO MUCH for the kind shout out!! You are the best! Also, glad to hear you enjoyed the chile sauce. Can’t wait to see your green chile jelly. I’ve made preserves, but not jelly. Love trying new things.

    • I still smell it! 🙂 We just had some leftover frozen grilled hamburger patties that were soooo helped out by a dab of green chile on top!

  • Liz

    You’ll be set for a LONG time, LOL. But so nice to have access right in your freezer for months to come!

  • […] k.fillText(f(55356,56826,55356,56819),0,0),!(j.toDataURL().length    Hatch Green Chiles […]