(Gerry Furth-Sides) Once you hear about “hatch Chili,” it seems you seem them everywhere. At one time the short harvest season was focused on the Labor Day roastings in Hatch, New Mexico. Huell Howser’s California Gold TV show showcased the roasting, and the attendees there that included devoted Los Angelenenos.

Like mesquite in the 80’s, however, cooks in New Mexico have known about them for years. This makes the vibrantly colors peppers ideal for use in Chile Con Queso, Chile Rellenos, and Chile Verde. And they are just as satisfying in salads, soups, stews, dips, and sandwiches.

The pepper has gone from an “insider’s favorite” to a national one. This year you will see Hatch featured not only in regional supermarket produce sections, but in towering product displays; deli section dishes, outdoor pepper roastings and restaurant menus all over the country.

More and more stores and supermarkets join in the Hatch Chile Season celebrations. For the outdoor roastings dates please see: https://www.melissas.com/pages/hatch-pepper-roasting-dates-and-locations-2023.

Hatch Peppers are named after the specific, original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico. They MUST be from Hatch, NM.   And they are special. In fact, Hatch Chile festival over Labor-Day week-end is now considered one of the biggest food festivals in the world.

Authentic Hatch Peppers have a meaty flesh with heat that varies depending on the variety. However, “heat” rather than fiery spiciness applies to all hatch peppers, from mild to hot, as Robert Schueller, Marketing Director of Melissa’s Produce loves to boast.

Hatch Valley, just north of Las Cruces is home to Hatch fields. What makes the sought-after grass green pepper unique in taste is the altitude in this southern New Mexican area, cold at night and hot in the daytime.  The weather in Hatch gives the mildly hot and savory pepper an obsessively delicious spicy and sweet flavor.

The combination of nutrient-rich soil, intense sunlight and cool desert nights, result in a pepper with thick walls and meaty, flavorful flesh. It’s no wonder the peppers – and the sweet onion crop grown right before them – have developed a cult following. See more at https://localfoodeater.com/an-insiders-guide-to-hatch-chili-season-starting-now/

HATCH CHILE may be here for only about six weeks. But Hatch products are here a lot longer. One exquisite and comprehensive new gift from Melissa’s this year is the Hatch Pepper Gift.

Featured in this gift is a festive array of Hatch items in one complete collection. It includes­­­­­­­­­­­ a copy of Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook, two shakers of our famous Ground Hatch Pepper Powder, a package of Dried Hatch Peppers (Hot), 4 ounces of Hatch Pepper Seasoning, 16 ounces of Hatch Polenta, a jar of our delicious Hatch Salsa, and a tub of our Hatch Clean® Snax.

One that turns up earlier than the chilies is the exceptional sweet onion. It is because of the same micro-climate as the peppers.

Named after the original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico, authentic Hatch Peppers so grown in the are prized so highly they have developed an almost cult following. Row after row of these green leafy pepper plants are harvested for a short six-week season during the summer.

Melissa’s Produce, in fact, has created a Hatch Essential line for those customers unable to do this. The line includes: Hatch Clean Snax®, Hatch dried pepper pods, Hatch pepper pecans, Hatch popcorn, Hatch polenta, Hatch salsa, Hatch seasoning powder and more. Please see https://www.melissas.com for the complete line.

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