Hatch Chile Peppers Delivery or Pickup

Hatch chile peppers, or Hatch chiles for short, is a chile cultivar grown and harvested in the Hatch Valley region in New Mexico. This fertile region stretches along the Rio Grande from Arrey, New Mexico, in the north to Tonuco Mountain, south of the town Hatch. The volcanic soil in this area, together with a 4,000-foot elevation and hot days and cold nights, provides the perfect conditions for the chiles to thrive.

The Pueblo Native Americans were already growing chiles in this region hundreds of years ago. However, what is currently known as the Hatch chile is a cultivar group of the chile peppers that these Native Americans grew. During the late 1800s, a horticulturist named Dr. Fabián Garcia and his students developed the modern New Mexican chile peppers at the New Mexico State University. Hatch chile peppers are simply New Mexican chile peppers that are grown in the Hatch Valley. 

They are, however, world-famous and form an essential part of New Mexico's economy and culture. The little town of Hatch, which has barely 2,000 people, is known as the chile capital of the world. The annual Hatch Chile Festival, which takes place during Labor Day weekend, attracts more than 30,000 visitors from all over the world. 

Hatch chile pepper season is relatively short since it runs from the beginning of August until the end of September, or at the latest, the middle of October. Due to the brevity of the harvesting season and the limited geographic availability, much of the Hatch chile harvest is flash frozen. Customers can also buy roasted Hatch green chiles or jarred Hatch green chiles throughout the year.

However, if you're out shopping for fresh Hatch chile peppers, you want to select specimens that are crisp and brightly colored. Look for chiles that have smooth skin and are firm to the touch. If chile peppers have wrinkled skin, mold, or black spots, avoid them, as these qualities point to aging and rot.

You can store and preserve Hatch chile peppers in many ways. If you want to use them fresh, you can store them in a plastic or paper bag in the refrigerator, in which case they'll last for about two weeks. If you leave them outside at room temperature, you'll need to use them within a week or so. To preserve chile peppers, you can pickle them in vinegar and water in a jar.

Another popular preservation method is drying the chiles.