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Tag: roasted
Hatch Chile Roasting Near you in 2025
If you are looking for roasted Hatch chile near you this year, you’ve come to the right place! Hatch chile roasting is an incredibly important part of New Mexican culture. This delicacy has spread to surrounding states and even further as New Mexico’s delicious food touches the hearts of more and more people. If you are here, you have probably asked where to get roasted Hatch chile this year. Read on to find out!
Where to get roasted green chile in 2025?
We roast chile at 2010 Eubank Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87112. When it comes to roasted Hatch green chile in Albuquerque, the original is always worth checking out. We’ve been roasting chile since 1977, before anyone else in the city. Most other roasters were just kids or not born born yet back then. We roast chile every day from 9-5 during the months of August, September, and October, the whole chile season. Our first day of roasting will be Friday, August 1st this year! Keep us in mind when you search for “Chile roasting near me 2025” We will continue to stay open selling chile products until Christmas, even after the chile roasting season is over!
The great terroir of New Mexico chile
Every chile season, New Mexicans always consider where to get their Hatch chile roasted. Many people here prefer chile from other areas, such as Lemitar, San Antonio, or Chimayo. In the early chile season, we always start our green chile roasting with Hatch chile. Simply put, it is ready faster because Hatch is farther south and warmer. As the plants get older however, the chile they produce becomes smaller and doesn’t roast as well. In this case, it is best to let the chile turn red and mature. The red chile pods they turn into make a delicious sauce, and is one answer to our state question, “Red or Green?” P.S. Christmas is always an acceptable answer if you are feeling indecisive!
Because the Hatch season is earlier, we change over to our farmers farther north later in the season in order to get the best quality chile available at the time. If the month is August, our green chile is almost certainly Hatch green chile. If it is around September or later, our green chile will likely be from Snake Ranch or another farm in the Socorro Valley area near Lemitar. There are many places here growing fantastic New Mexico chile. Due to our long history of roasting chile in New Mexico, we have vetted just about everyone, and only source from the best growers.
The Farmers Chile Market Difference
Regardless of whether you are looking for Hatch chile, Lemitar chile, or somewhere else, we are confident that our chile quality is just as good, if not better. Our farmers use seeds bred primarily for flavor rather than yield per acre as a lot of “Hatch chile farms” use. Our chile is better than what you get in giant grocery stores, we guarantee it! If you want good quality roasted green or red chile, you can be sure to get it here. We pride ourselves on being a great chile roaster in Albuquerque.
We are more than willing to accommodate special requests for roasting. Do you want us to roast it a little longer for a more smoky flavor? Let us know! Want to throw some garlic and onion into the roaster for a more aromatic roast? We can do it! We will roast your xxx-hot sack with some fresh ghost peppers to kick up the heat level. I’ll even take your picture if it’s not too busy, just ask! At Farmers Chile Market, we will do our best to ensure you leave happy with your perfect sack of chile!
Your Spot for Roasted Green Chile
If you are asking yourself where to get chile roasting near me in 2025, You can find your solution in the Northeast Heights at 2010 Eubank Blvd NE. In the early season, we start roasting green medium and hot varieties. Later on, we also carry mild, extra hot, and even xxx-hot Lumbre chile! We will also have plenty of red chile ristras, other chile products, and local produce available.
We roast red chile too!
Don’t think of us as a one trick pony that only sells green chile. Once September rolls around, we have all varieties of green chile and also carry fresh red chile to roast as well. This is much more difficult to find than green chile, and most roasters don’t carry much in the way of fresh red. Whether you want a full sack, a half sack, or an even smaller amount than that, you can get it at Farmers Chile Market during September and October! Of course, we also carry dried red chile pods, which is the most common way that people buy their red chile.
Hatch Chile Season 2025
Although it is still somewhat early to tell, the snow and rain we have been seeing over the winter is definitely a good sign. Although there are other factors than just water involved in growing and harvesting green and red New Mexico chile, water availability has been something which has been limiting the amount of farms able to grow. When we get a good snowpack, this means water will be less of a troubling issue. Hopefully winters like these become normal, as water concerns have become somewhat severe in recent years.
Is there a green chile shortage?
Regardless of the bleak picture many media outlets love to paint, green and red New Mexico chile will always be available, even if the price rises due to various reasons, such as labor, water, fertilizer, or even age of farmers. Green chile production in Hatch, and most other areas of New Mexico is becoming smaller and smaller, but it will still be available. We at Farmers Chile Market are committed to finding good chile, no matter what happens in the future. You can believe that we will always support local farmers and try to keep the great red and green chile tradition of New Mexico alive.
What Varieties of Chile we Roast
These are all different chile varieties! Hotter chile typically curves more We roast many different varieties of Hatch chile, including Numex 6-4, Big Jim, Sandia, Miss Junie, Barker, and even Lumbre chile. More than just that, we often also carry fresh red chile once it is ready too. In terms of heat levels, this means we sell and roast chile which is very mild, medium, hot, extra hot, and all the way up to xxx-hot. We have even have people special order fresh superhots like ghost peppers to roast alongside with other chile. If we roast it, you can be sure it is local New Mexican chile, though we also have a wide range of other chili peppers as well!
Other types of chilies we sell
If you are looking for the hottest of the hot, we try to carry a wide assortment of both fresh and dried superhot chile peppers during the chile season. We typically always have plenty of Carolina Reapers, Ghost Peppers, 7 Pots, Scotch Bonnets and even Aji Charapita, the world’s most expensive chili pepper! This year, we will also try to carry Pepper X, the new hottest chile pepper in the world. This isn’t a guarantee yet however, as the seeds are still hard to come by.
We have Mexican chile too!
We also carry a good assortment of chile from Mexico, such as Ancho, Chipotle, Guajillo, and more. In the future, I will prepare different recipes using these peppers. I love to cook and write, but often I become quite busy managing my chile roasting operation, and that must come first. Because of this, it may take me a year or two to come up with these recipes using various chile peppers. For now, here is a recipe overview for a New Mexican classic, stacked red chile enchiladas. In case you are a foodie, I have spent a decent amount of time between the end of the 2024 chile season and the start of the 2025 chile season beefing up our recipes section! Be sure to check it out if you want some more ideas about how to cook with Hatch chile.
Looking Forward to the 2025 NM chile season
The chile season is always different, but the same. During the months of August, September, and October, I work every day of the week, trying to not only provide the best customer service I can, but also find the best chile at the best time. The season changes drastically from the early season, where only a small amount of green chile varieties available. Two weeks later, we have plenty of extra hot and xxx hot chile, with more and more mature reddish chiles showing up in the burlap sacks.
Once September comes, red chile comes right after. Once red chile is available, red chile ristras show up days later. Tying chile ristras is a great way for farming families to make more money. It is also a good way for older family members to make some money without working the fields. With red chile coming, it also means the season is approaching the finish line. The weather starts getting colder, and plants have less energy to keep making new green chile. More and more farmers stop picking, and leave the red chile to dry on the plant, to be harvested once dry.
Visit Albuquerque’s Original Chile Roaster
We hope to be your choice when you search for chile roasting near me 2025 this year. If you are living in Albuquerque, or just passing through for the Balloon Fiesta or something else, we would love to see you at Farmers Chile Market at 2010 Eubank Blvd Albuquerque, NM 87112 this chile season!
For people traveling in Albuquerque and New Mexico, be sure to check out our travel section for ideas. We have plenty of information about different road trip ideas, including Route-66, I-25, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Hatch, and more!
Chile Ristras for sale in Albuquerque
We will also have tons of ristras for sale at 2010 Eubank Blvd NE, 87112. Typically they show up right around Labor Day, coinciding with the Hatch Chile Festival! Our selection of ristras
Once ristras come in, fresh red chile follows closely behind it. Be sure to come stop by and get your roasted red chile fix in the months of September and October. Because of its high sugar content, we won’t be shipping fresh red chile. It often attracts flies and goes bad much faster than green chile as a result. New crop red chile pods come in around October typically. These pods are the core ingredient in making the red part of New Mexico’s favorite cuisine, a red chile sauce. After red chile pods become available, some of the large chile producers in Hatch also begin to prepare fresh red chile powder, which is one of my favorite ingredients to make different New Mexican fusion foods!
Hatch red chile roasting in Albuquerque More info about New Mexico Chile
Check out our guide to roasting chile at home.
In case you will be roasting chile professionally in 2025, read roasting with a barrel roaster. This guide explains our technique of roasting chile. It has been tuned over 45 years, and I believe it is the best way to roast with a chile roaster.
Check here if you are curious about different varieties of chile. In case you are a real chilehead, you will no doubt be interested in attending the world famous Hatch Chile Festival. Be sure to read all about it before you go!
Also, feel free to read through our blog if you want to learn other things about New Mexico Chile. In case you are interested in the history and culture of New Mexico chile, be sure to read our blog post The New Mexican Chile Tradition. We add new content regularly, and will feature recipes along with other knowledge and opinions as the chile industry changes. It is a very different game than it used to be, with many new varieties available. We hope you enjoyed reading our blog, and hope to see you when you are looking for roasted green chile in 2025!
A nice Autumn roast Can’t make it to Albuquerque?
We also have a broad selection of Hatch chile products available on our online shop! Take the knowledge you learned in our guide to roasting chile and roast up some delightful chile for yourself. The chile we sell is more flavorful than chile you can get in grocery stores. A big reason why is that it isn’t graded by federal produce standards. In New Mexico, we don’t really care so much if chile is curved, but the Feds and grocery conglomerates do. If we want a chile relleno, we pick out a straight chile. curvy stuff is still great for chopping up and putting on a burger, in a taco, or even some mac & cheese! The tastiest varieties of chile are usually not very straight! That being said, some varieties such as Big Jim have a propensity to be big, straight, and meaty!
Buy chile online!
Whether you are looking for fresh green chile, frozen roasted chile, dried roasted chile, dried red chile pods, a chile ristra, new crop Estancia pinto beans, or something else, we probably have it available in our chile store. Although New Mexico is a great travel location, we will be here waiting for you next year too! In case you need your heat fix sooner than you can visit, you can scratch your chile itch by buying online! Even if you can’t find chile roasting near you in 2025, you can get fresh chile and roast it yourself. Happy roasting this 2025 chile season!
Hatch Green Chile roasting in Albuquerque 
How to choose good New Mexico chile
It’s June now, which means that chile has already been in the ground for over a month in all the major farming regions of New Mexico. We are around 2 months away from the 2024 chile season, and the time is right for a guide to how to pick out good chile.
First things first is to evaluate the retailer you are buying from. If they are a typical grocery store and their chile is cheap, it is probably a chile variety with less flavor than many varieties we and other local New Mexican chile roasters sell. Second, make sure they let you at least try the raw chile to know the flavor. Don’t expect to try Hatch chile already roasted, as it leads to food safety concerns. Spice and other flavors associated with different varieties is impossible to explain. In order to get the right product, you should be allowed to sample the product. If they don’t let you, consider a different place. At Farmers Chile Market, we always let customers try raw chile to get an idea of what the flavor of each chile variety we sell.
How to try raw chile
Tasting chile is very important if you want to get the ideal match of heat and flavor. As chile is a seasonal product, it means every season has different characteristics. Just like wine, tea, coffee and other agricultural products, chile’s flavor also varies based on the weather and other factors. More than just that, there are many different chile varieties to choose from.
Break the chile away from you or anyone else so the juices don’t fly in anyone’s face. No one wants a face full of extra hot chile juice! Try to break it around the middle, as this is where the heat from the chile is most indicative of the spice level of the chile. Raw chile has the majority of its spice centralized in the membranes near the seeds. This means the tip often has very little heat, while near the stem might be like fire. During roasting, the membranes break open, and the juices flow all around during the steaming process, which makes the spice level more uniform throughout the chile. Bite one side, and share the other side with a friend, or throw it in the roaster with your sack of chile if you like it. At Farmers Chile Market, we will gladly explain the differences in flavor and let you try whatever flavor you want. We even have free water, in case you try something a little too spicy. This is one of many little things we do to try to be the best place to get chile roasting in 2024!
Super spicy New Mexican Lumbre chiles. Be especially careful breaking these! How to see if fresh green chile is good
The easiest things to notice are wrinkling and decay. If a lot of the chile looks decayed, go to a different store, as wherever you are obviously doesn’t care enough to remove bad product. We put fresh chile out multiple times a day and always remove decay when we see it, as it can ruin nearby chile as well. Another thing to look for is wrinkling. While a little wrinkling is not too bad, excessive wrinkling can make a chile incredibly hard to roast and peel. In our raw chile section, we rotate out the chile several times, and roast it before it wrinkles too much. Not only that, but we get shipments 3 times a week, so our chile we sell is at most only 3-4 days since harvest. Good chile roasters pay very close attention to these details, and you can be assured to get a quality product. To summarize, a little wrinkling is ok, but don’t trust a place that puts out a lot of decayed chile. Ideal chile is plump and firm, with a flavor that suits you and the people you eat with. Don’t be afraid to try, as you know and understand what flavor is best for you much more than just trusting a sign that says mild, medium, hot, or extra hot.
What to do after buying Green Chile
Many different varieties of fresh New Mexico chile. Notice that there aren’t many wrinkles. Your chile needs to be roasted of course! If the place you buy from has a roaster, ask them to roast it for you. It will save a lot of time! That being said, many bigger grocery stores don’t do a great job at training their chile roasters. I have a guide to roasting chile written for both roasting as a profession chile roaster, and also for roasting at home. If the roasting area doesn’t look professional, odds are it isn’t. I hear complaints regularly from people who go to less professional chile roasting operations every year and are dissatisfied. It is sometimes better to just roast chile at home than get an inexperienced person to roast it for you.
Roasted chile should look like this when finished. Most of the peel is already gone, but it isn’t charred How to choose a good Hatch red chile ristra
To start things off, I should say that decorative things are very subjective, as everyone has different artistic tastes. That being said, there are some things I will recommend looking out for. First, make sure that the ristra is straight. If you see any obvious bends, it probably means the ristra was not properly stored, and will have a weak point, from which chile will easily break off. Second, look at how plump it is. Some ristra makers skimp out on chile, and while the length is correct, it shrinks down a lot once it is dried. A ristra should be quite full, with around 3 chiles per layer. Some ristras have a shape that curves outward a lot, and some have shapes that curl inward. What specific look you like is really up to you. As they say, “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” Look for breakage of chile if the ristra is not fresh. Generally you don’t see much decay on ristras. As they age, some ristras will have brown patches on some chile, this is just the color that green chile turns to when it dries. It just means that the chile originally was not completely red when it was tied to the ristra. It will still taste good, even if it isn’t the most pretty chile.
If you have more questions about ristras, our Ristra FAQ has plenty of answers for you.
October is a beautiful time here The New Mexican Chile Experience
If you are from New Mexico, you understand about what it is like to get chile roasted here. For people who are outside of New Mexico and have to rely on grocers in your area, I highly recommend making the chile season part of your reason to visit New Mexico. In October, we have the Balloon Fiesta, the worlds largest hot air balloon festival. It always occurs toward the end of chile season, but we will almost always still be roasting when it occurs, barring freak cold snaps, which do occasionally end the chile season early. One of the coolest things to do in New Mexico is visiting a chile roaster, as you can see the lifeblood of New Mexican food up close. If you come to our chile stand at 2010 Eubank Blvd NE in the northeast heights in Albuquerque, we will do our best to show you a delicious side of New Mexican culture. In case you are planning a trip to New Mexico specifically for chile, I highly recommend checking out the Hatch Chile Festival too!
Lumbre, the hottest New Mexico chile
Lumbre chile is a relatively new New Mexico chile variety which is quite spicy. It was developed by Jimmy Lyttle, son of “Big Jim” Lyttle. Considering Big Jim is arguably the most famous New Mexico chile, that is some spicy heritage they have.
When compared to other chile peppers, New Mexico chile in general is not too spicy. The main reason it is so popular is for its flavor, size, and the thick, meaty texture. Spice is important, but there are far spicier chile varieties available. Even a jalapeno is more spicy than most New Mexico chile.
Lumbre is an exception to this rule. Lumbre chile is so spicy that it makes our eyes water when we bag it after roasting. In order to ensure quality, I need to sample chile when it comes in. Lumbre is a chile I dread tasting, even if I only break a piece off at the relatively mild tip. For reference regarding raw chile, only about 5% of the spice will be in the tip, where about half will be in the inch near the tip. After roasting, many of the cell walls are broken, juices flow, and the heat will be more balanced throughout the chile.
Regarding size, Lumbre is fairly large compared to most hot chile peppers, but quite small compared with most New Mexico chile varieties. It grows about 4-5 inches long, and has thinner walls than other varieties. It also curves more, and often has a hooked tip. The veins inside are pretty much all tinged shades of yellow, orange, and red. Altogether it is a quite beautiful chile.
Roasting Lumbre Chile
Despite being much smaller than other varieties, Lumbre actually roasts quite well. The peel is thin, and blisters quite easily. This means it can peel well before the chile starts to burn. If you want to get roasted lumbre chile in Albuquerque, we are open from August to the end of October every year at 2010 Eubank, Albuquerque, NM 87112.
Roasted Lumbre green chile 
Jhett’s New Mexico Green Chile Recipe
As enthusiasts from around the world gather for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, it’s the perfect time to celebrate with a local culinary favorite—the green chile sauce. Renowned for its unique flavor, roasted green chile holds a special place in New Mexican culture and has even spread its influence to places like Denver. Although you can make this recipe with frozen green chile, getting fresh roasted green chile during the chile season is ideal, as you can get exactly what heat level and flavor you are looking for.
Today’s recipe is mostly vegetarian and easy to make entirely plant-based by simply omitting or replacing the chicken bouillon powder. As a testament to green chile’s versatility, feel free to personalize the level of heat and other flavors to your liking.
Understanding Heat in Green Chile
Before we begin crafting our sauce, let’s discuss the spice factor. Green chiles come in a range from mild to extra hot. By blending different heat levels of chile or by adjusting the use of seeds, you can achieve your desired level of spiciness. Remember, seeds maintain their heat even after cooking.
For those handling hotter chiles, protective food preparation gloves are recommended. The capsaicin contained within can cause prolonged discomfort on your skin and can inadvertently spread, especially through frequent face touching. For gloveless preparation, regular handwashing with soap is imperative to avoid the potent sting of capsaicin. While unconventional, using vodka or olive oil could help in the removal process, soap and water remain the simplest and most hygienic solution.
Vegetarian Green Chile Sauce Recipe
With that guidance in hand, let’s get to the heart of our recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb roasted green chile
- 1 medium onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 medium ripe tomato
- A strip or zest of lemon peel
- Low sodium soup stock (You can use Knorr brand bouillon for adjustability; both chicken and vegetable flavors are suitable)
- A small pinch of oregano
- A tiny touch of nutmeg and cinnamon
- Ground cumin (double the amount of coriander seeds used)
- A dash of paprika
- A couple of bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Preheat your broiler. This is essential for peeling the tomato later.
- While the broiler heats, finely dice your onion.
- Place the tomato under the broiler until the skin begins to split, showing hints of brown or blackened spots—about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the garlic—larger pieces to avoid burning, smaller for a stronger flavor—but watch carefully as it cooks.
- In a pan over medium heat with canola oil, season the onions with salt and pepper, cooking until translucent and just golden. Add the garlic and stir regularly to avoid charring.
- When the tomato is ready, set it aside to cool.
Time for Green Chile:
- Wearing gloves, remove the stem and peel from the chiles. Slice them open, scrape out the seeds, and chop into small pieces.
- Add the prepared chile to the pan with the onion.
- Turn your attention back to the peeled tomato. Dice it and add the flesh and any juices to the pan. Slice the remaining core to salvage all tomato pieces, discard only the very center stem, and add everything to your pot.
- Let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally. Insert the bay leaves and lemon peel at this stage, allowing the flavors to meld over roughly 20 minutes.
- Begin seasoning with cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, and paprika—spices can always be added, but never removed, so season with caution, tasting as you go.
- Once satisfied with the seasoning, turn off the heat and let the sauce sit for 10 minutes.
- Finally, remove the bay leaves and lemon peel. The flavors should now be perfectly married.
The Final Touch:
When seeking green chile or other related items, consider visiting my family business Farmers Chile Market. And if you have a beloved green chile recipe or adaptation, please share! I’m eager to hear how others enjoy this versatile ingredient.
With your green chile sauce ready, it’s time to savor the rich, complex flavors that New Mexico has to offer, alongside the beauty of the Balloon Fiesta. Enjoy!
Be sure to check out our recipes section for more ideas on how to cook with New Mexico’s favorite food!
Chile Roasting in Albuquerque
Where to get chile roasted in Albuquerque
If you are looking to get some green chile roasted in Albuquerque, there is only one place that has been doing it since 1977. Farmers Chile Market, located at 2010 Eubank Blvd NE, or just Farmers Market back then, started the Albuquerque chile roasting tradition when the owner Jhett was just 19 years old. That means as of this 2024 chile season we have been roasting green chile for 47 years. Altogether, we have over 100 years of experience roasting chile in New Mexico!
Since then, roasted chile has overtaken the city, and it seems like you can find chile roasters on most major street corners these days. In New Mexico, whether you spell it chile or chili, it isn’t hard to find roasting. Even large grocery chains set up roasters, but generally the chile and roast quality is not as good. Just like most other industries, the more local it is, the better. As a business started in 1962, we are as local as it gets for Albuquerque. We’ve been roasting Hatch chile since before it was world famous, and probably helped many people discover what really makes New Mexico the Land of Enchantment. Something we do that most places don’t, is we also roast fresh red chile too! Whether you want roasted green chile, red chile, or both, we can do it for you!
A New Mexico Tradition
The fact is, green and red chile are part of the fabric which makes up Albuquerque. Whether you want to roast it yourself in the oven, or have us roast it on our barrel roasters, chile roasting is a staple of life in Albuquerque. There is a reason we always ask the question “green or red?” when it comes to our favorite spicy food. Chile, both green and red are fundamental to every kitchen. If you don’t like spice, we have mild, and if you love spice, we have super hot kinds of chile like Lumbre. Every New Mexican is able to find a perfect chile for them.
Often, chile roasters become almost like a town hall, with many people coming together and discussing chile, life, and making new friendships as they watch their chile being roasted. It is one of the things that really unites New Mexicans. Everyone has the experience of getting fresh roasted chile, whether they buy it themselves or get some from their friends and family.
If you are looking for chile roasting in Albuquerque, you can find us from August to the end of October at 2010 Eubank Blvd NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87112. If you have any questions about flavors or varieties of chile, or other local produce which we carry, you can call 505-362-3058 or message our facebook page. More than just fresh roasted chile, we also have plenty of other chile products, such as chile ristras to choose from. More than just that, we carry plenty of local produce when it is in season. Because local produce arrives only one day after harvest, it allows our farmers to let the fruits vine ripen longer than the massive agricultural operations in other states are able to.
A commitment to quality roasted chile
We aim to please, and always offer the highest quality chile we can find. There is a reason our chile is priced higher than major grocery stores. It costs more to grow and handle. Chile for us isn’t some afterthought loss leader. We are chile specialists, and sell specialty chile products.
We care a lot about your satisfaction. If you have any requests, we will try to accommodate them. You are always welcome to sample the chile we sell before you buy, and can mix flavors if you want a spice level that better suits you. We can even roast garlic or onions with your chile, which takes the fragrance up a notch. When it comes to delicious spicy food, New Mexico chile is a wonderful ingredient. Why not prepare it exactly how you want it?
So next time you are wondering “where to get chile roasting near me,” just remember Farmers Chile Market at 2010 Eubank Blvd NE in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
If you are interested in unique ways to prepare green chile, try fermenting it.
Hatch Green Chile roasting in Abluquerque Albuquerque’s Original Chile Roaster
As the original chile roaster in Albuquerque, we have a duty to uphold our long tradition of serving up quality local produce at a good price. When we were known just as Farmers Market, we were the best value grocery store in Albuquerque for decades. People knew us as the place where “A Fast Nickel Beats a Slow Dime.” Although that phrase has lost its meaning over time due to inflation, we still strive to provide a great value for our customers. We are not some simple souvenir shop like some chile businesses around Albuquerque who charge tourists ways more than they ought to for chile products. We are not the cheapest around, but if that is what you want, Wal Mart and other grocery conglomerates have plenty of inferior chile for cheap. What we offer is excellent chile products and high quality local produce at good prices. We hope that you can see for yourself this 2024 chile season at Farmers Chile Market, Albuquerque’s Original Chile Roaster.
If you want more information about New Mexico chile products, you can be sure to find it on our blog. Read more about the history and culture of NM chile. Our blog has a lot of content, and will have more regularly throughout the chile season. We even have a decent FAQ in case you have any questions about chile ristras. As you can see, Farmers Chile Market has a lot of information about New Mexico chile products. We know so many different local farmers and work very hard to have the best knowledge about different local produce every single season. All of this work is to ensure we provide our customers with the best possible product at the best value we can. The original brick and mortar Farmers Market is gone, but our philosophy continues on for over 60 years. Nickels and Dimes aren’t worth much anymore in 2024, but we will still do our best to give you the best value New Mexican produce in Albuquerque.
Roasted Lumbre green chile Remember us for chile ristras in Albuquerque too
Find us in the Northeast Heights, north of I-40 in Albuquerque
How to cook with Hatch Chile
Be sure to check out our recipes section for ideas on what to cook with New Mexico’s favorite food!
The Many Varieties of Chile
Many types of New Mexico chile
Although we sell green chile by temperature, Mild, Medium, Hot, Extra Hot, XXX-hot, etc, the differences between New Mexico chile varieties run deeper than that.
Chile has been a big thing in New Mexico for a long time, and as a result, many different varieties exist. Many are bred for their size and meatiness, such as Big Jim. Some are bred to bring the heat, like Lumbre. Some chile is bred to mass produce, like Arizona 88. We don’t sell that one, as it is an inferior product, but most giant grocery stores do. Everyone has something different they look for in New Mexico chile, and that is why we let people see and try the chile before they buy. It is important for us to make sure you have the best possible chile experience.
The purpose of Different chile
Every chile serves a purpose, which includes much more than simply heat level. For our hot green chile, we generally get Miss Junie. Our ristras are made with Sandia, a chile variety developed by Roy Harper in 1956. Both are a solid “hot” temperature, but the Miss Junie a is slightly spicier, more meaty variety, which means it will roast better. Sandia is less so, which leads to better drying.
There are many different things that consumers look for in chile. Sometimes they need chile that is long and straight, so they can make chile rellenos. Big Jim, a cultivar developed by Roy Nakayama in the 1970s is typically the best for this. The mild 1904 and 6-4 varieties also work, as well as the hot Miss Junie.
Sometimes, people want as hot as possible. Traditionally, Barker was the choice for spice-lords, but Lumbre has overtaken its throne in recent years. Barker remains as the primary extra hot variety at Farmers Chile Market and most other chile stores. Lumbre is our XXX-hot variety.
The original New Mexico chile pepper was Numex No. 9, developed and released by Fabian Garcia a little over 100 years ago. Although it is not as common as other famous varieties of New Mexico chile in modern times, its purpose as the forefather of Hatch chile will always be significant.
Differences in the same varieties
Red or Green?
Red chile and green chile is another factor which is important. Green chiles have many differences with red. Red fruits are more mature, with a lot more sugar. They take longer to roast, and the peel is more resilient. They also dry much better, and hold their shape well, where green typically shrivels and doesn’t look great.
Red Chile
New Mexico chile typically ripens up to become red chile. Fresh red chile is quite sweet, but most people don’t eat it when it is fresh. Instead, most red chile is sun dried. These sun dried red chile pods are then ground into red chile powder by processors in Hatch New Mexico, or sold to consumers as whole chile pods. These pods are the base of New Mexico’s mother sauce, the red chile sauce. The arrival of fresh red chile is also a big milestone in the chile season, as it means that chile ristras are available. Although ristras are often used as just a decoration, they are also edible if they are untreated, and many fantastic chile sauces are made with chile ristras!
Green Chile
The arrival of green chile marks the beginning of what people refer to as the chile season, which typically goes from the start of August to nearly the end of October. Green chile is almost exclusively roasted and peeled before eating, but green chile powder has also become more and more popular in recent years. After roasting, it is typically bagged up in freezer bags and frozen for consumption at a later date. Chile Pasado is another way to preserve roasted green chile by drying it. Green chile is much less sweet than red chile, and I would argue that its flavor is somewhat more grassy and herbal than red. Due to it needing to be roasted to peel it off, I recommend finding a good chile roaster, or reading our guide to roasting green chile!
Common New Mexico Chile Varieties
Mild Chile Types
There are many chile varieties such as R Naky which are primarily grown as paprika type chile, and not meant to be roasted. As we are a chile roaster, we will primarily focus on chile commonly used in roasting or making New Mexican food.
New Mexico 6-4
This variety was developed as a team effort at NMSU based on Numex No 6, which was released by Dr. Roy Harper back in the 1940s. In Modern times, the NuMex Heritage 6-4 variety has become more common. It’s heat level is typically around 1,500 Scoville Heat Units, SHU or less.
NuMex Joe E. Parker
Another mild variety which was released in 1990, this chile is typically around 1,000 SHU.
Medium Chile Types
Big Jim Chile
The Big Jim chile variety was developed by Dr Roy Nakayama in the 1970s at NMSU in collaboration with famed chile farmer “Big Jim Lytle”. This chile went on to be labelled by Guinness as the world’s largest chile pepper. Possessing a medium heat, this is by far the best chile variety to be used for chile rellenos! In modern times, NuMex Heritage Big Jim has become more common. Big Jim is somewhat notorious for being a bit inconsistent in heat level, with some peppers being rather mild, while others are up to 9,000 SHU. Along with something I like to call “spiceflation,” or the perceived heat level going down as people desensitize themselves with hotter and hotter chile, more and more people are regarding Big Jim as Mild. We still classify it as medium, because it has been for the past 50 years. Maybe we will change this at some point, but we also have a long history and want to respect our New Mexico traditions!
Hot Chile Types
Sandia Chile
This is the traditional “hot” New Mexico chile, and has been since it was release in the 1956 by Dr. Roy Harper. Sandia is the primary chile used to make red chile ristras in New Mexico. A more modern version of Sandia, known as Sandia Select is also a great chile for roasting, as it is bigger and thicker.
Ms Junie
This relatively new chile variety was developed by Solar Dry Chile in Hatch. Named after the late, June Louise Franzoy Lytle Rutherford, this chile is somewhere between Big Jim and Sandia in size, while also being hotter than Sandia too! Although some chile vendors will mark this as an extra hot chile, it still is lighter in heat level than a Barker variety. Miss Junie is an amazing chile for roasting as it is big, thick, and juicy! It even works great in chile rellenos too. One major downside to it, is that because it is so juicy, it doesn’t dry as well in the sun. This is why ristras are usually made with Sandia chile over Ms Junie still.
Extra Hot Chile Types
Barker Chile
Barker chile has been the typical extra hot variety in New Mexico for as long as I can remember. It is quite a bit smaller than either Sandia or Miss Junie, but is almost always a decent amount spicier than either. Barker is more difficult to roast than other varieties of chile, as it is more prone to burning. It is not as juicy as many types of chile, so a roaster needs to pay attention when roasting this variety.
Hotter than Extra-Hot Types
Lumbre Chile
As of now, the most consistently hot New Mexico chile variety I know of is the Lumbre chile. It was developed in recent years by Jimmy Lyttle, son of “Big Jim” Lyttle. This veins of this chile are yellow, orange, and red, which should frighten you if you are afraid of spice. When we roast this chile, even the air around the roaster becomes spicy. We call this chile XXX-hot, because it is dangerous how spicy it is. Although it won’t be too hot for someone who eats ghost peppers like candy, when you eat a dish with a green chile sauce made of lumbre chile, you will feel the heat! We also try to carry this in dried red chile pods, but it often sells out within a day or two. If you see lumbre red chile pods, buy them right away!
Super spicy New Mexican Lumbre chiles Other types of chili Peppers
Superhot Chili Peppers
Superhot chilies are a new trend in chili pepper cultivation. twenty five years ago, the hottest peppers you might find would be things like habanero and scotch bonnets. Although the red savina pepper was the hottest in the world, few people really knew much about it at the time. The first superhot pepper to really kick off the modern spice craze was the bhut jolokia, or ghost pepper as it is most commonly known. Dr Paul Bosland of NMSU’s Chile Pepper Institute said this pepper “kind of opened the floodgates.”
Since then, other peppers emerged, with a new one taking the crown every year or two. Trinidad moruga scorpions were the top dog until they got overturned by the Carolina Reaper, which as just recently been overtaken by Pepper X. The amount of superhot chile varieties available now is immense, with tons of growers and researchers trying to make their own mark. One popular chile variety is the 7 pot, which has many different strains. You might have heard about a California reaper, which is a yellow version of the red Carolina reaper.
New hottest peppers
Although unconfirmed by Guinness, there are some new peppers that are rumored to be even spicier than the Carolina Reaper. If you ever hear of Dragons Breath or Pepper X, be prepared, as they are supposedly much hotter than even the Carolina Reaper. These new chile peppers are pure fire.
Sweet peppers
Along with a boom in superhots came a boom in the sweet pepper department as well. For decades, you could find a few colors of bell peppers at any old grocery store. These mild peppers give a good flavor and juiciness to any dish they are in, along with tons of health benefits. There are a lot of different sweet peppers available, such as the Corno di Toro. The Hamik pepper is one of the sweetest peppers you can find, with sweetness that makes it comparable to many fruits.
Famous peppers around the world
Many countries have their own chile traditions and cultures, just like us in New Mexico. In Japan, their most famous chile is the shishito pepper, which goes really great flame roasted and paired with beer. It is a very common bar food in Japan. In southeast Asia, the Thai or birds eye pepper reigns supreme, but stroll down any market, and you will see tons of different types of chile that you can never find in the US. If you get pho in the US, it typically has jalapenos, but in Vietnam, it typically comes with a local green chili and lime wedges. Mexico, has some of the most famous chile varieties in the US, so we have an entire post about different types of Mexican chile peppers!
India and Sri Lanka are famous for spicy food, which explains why the ghost pepper and naga chile varieties came from there. Trinidad is also quite famous for both the Trinidad Scorpion and the 7 pot varieties of chile. Cayenne pepper is another super famous pepper, and arguably the most used for spice powder which adds heat. Paprika is of course more common, but mild.
The world is a big place, and although I do consider myself a chile expert, my field is primarily related to chile in New Mexico. Because of that, I can’t list off every single pepper, but I can say that the amount of different pepper cultivars is simply astonishing. You will find different chile everywhere you go, as long as the cuisine is one that appreciates spice.
New Mexican Spice
Although there are many different types of chile peppers in the world, New Mexico is unique in a major way. We eat chile with literally everything. In a day, you might have three different meals and a snack, all containing chile. Whether it is green chile scrambled eggs for breakfast, a chile cheeseburger for lunch, some red chile beef jerky for a snack, or something else, we eat more chile than anywhere. Hatch is the Chile Capital of the World, but we love our chile everywhere in New Mexico. In fact, we love it so much, that even our neighbors can’t resist! Chile roasting season is a very important thing for us in New Mexico. It is especially important to us at Farmers Chile Market. We hope to be your destination to get your roasted chile in 2024!
Red chile is more than pods
When most people think of New Mexican red chile, they often think of a savory spicy sauce. They think of tamales, of enchiladas, of carne adovada. One thing about all of those is that they are generally not sweet.
Fresh red chile is incredibly sweet, much more than green. Roasting then scraping the peels off gives a very different flavor profile than what the dried red from ristras gives. When the chiles dry naturally, they ferment, and the sugar turns into alcohol, which then evaporates away. Speaking of alcohol, I’m working on a roasted red chile mead. Stay tuned for updates on that.
If you are looking to add more sweetness to a recipe, I highly recommend using some roasted red. It is harder to peel than green chile, but the earthy sweetness plays a very nice bass to the fiery trumpet of the spice.
Fresh Hatch red chile is usually available in early September, with regions such as San Antonio or Lemitar following by about a week and a half. You can find it until the fields get their first frost, which tends to be somewhere around mid to late October.
We love roasting the red, even though most places don’t roast it. It is definitely harder to roast, as it takes longer and doesn’t peel as easily, but the end result is definitely worth it. One of my favorite times of the year is when fresh red comes in. It brings ristras too, while still being early enough for plenty of green chile to still be available. I think it is the best time of year in New Mexico.
I have a great butter chicken recipe I make with roasted red that I will share soon, stay tuned for that too.
Be sure to keep us in mind this 2024 Hatch chile season! We are glad to be your favorite spot again this year for chile roasting in Albuquerque, whether you want roasted red or green!
