# Yay, the Hatch Chilies are here **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084 "2020-08-26T18:44:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/1 "2020-08-26T18:44:38Z")
šŸ˜€ Here In Michigan at least. The last few years they either never showed up, or showed up in such small numbers they were sold out before I found any. Still way to damn hot out to start thinking about any Chile Verde, or Enchilada sauce making for me, But I got about 8 pounds, which this weekend will be roasted and skinned, then vacuum packed and frozen, for that soul rejuvenating stuff come this winter. There will of course be salsa immediately after roasting as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/2 "2020-08-26T18:51:35Z")
_Drools_ I have a big pepper garden this year, 60 plants. Unfortunately I wasnā€™t able to get any hatch chilies here (southern Oregon) so I have a bunch or various hot and sweet peppers that I donā€™t know what to do with. I was going to dry them all and then grind them into a powder, but I have more peppers than dehydrator space. Iā€™ll still end up with quarts of pepper powder. Some of my peppers were really disappointing. I have 3 or 4 pepperoncini plants, but the peppers taste nothing like the ones from the store: my peppers are completely flavorless (if anything they taste like dirt) and have no heat whatsoever. I need to figure out how to grow hatch peppers, probably from seed, for next year. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/3 "2020-08-26T19:02:54Z")
To be clear I bought them, not grow them. I did actually try to grow some Hatches from seed this year. I planted 4 each of hot, medium, and mild, and then some in a pots I was hoping to take inside for over wintering hopefully. Unfortunately squirrels destroyed that bit of garden over and over, and I only have one medium and one scrawny, so far unflowered mild that survived. The medium only produced two peppers, that are starting to ripen at only about 3 inches long. šŸ™„ The potted ones were also killed over and over, so I restarted them inside in early July, so they are miles away from being fruit ready, which will probably never happen without the outdoor sun anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/4 "2020-08-26T23:58:45Z")
I feel for you, **wolfman**. Thankfully, I have no problem getting Hatch peppers here in Las Vegas. Or any other kind, really. All year round. Mmmmmmm peppers. šŸ˜‹ ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/5 "2020-08-27T00:04:48Z")
Mmmm! šŸŒ¶ šŸŒ¶ šŸŒ¶ šŸŒ¶ šŸŒ¶ šŸŒ¶ šŸŒ¶ ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/6 "2020-08-27T01:04:42Z")
Oh yeah, theyā€™ve been here for a few weeks. Weā€™ve made queso fundido, pizzas and sandwiches with them so far. No green chile pork stew yet. As the OP said, still too hot for that. I havenā€™t tried to grow any peppers using hatch seeds. Itā€™d probably be pretty good in this area (at least itā€™s super easy to grow peppers here), but supposedly the micro-climate of the areas of New Mexico theyā€™re cultivated in affects the peppers quite a bit. Iā€™d be really interested in finding out the level of difference with one grown locally and its frozen parent imported from the next state. Might have to plant a few this year. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/7 "2020-08-27T01:16:57Z")
I just put some genuine, fresh Hatch green chiles in the oven with my chicken about 10 minutes ago. I can hardly wait. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/8 "2021-08-27T21:39:50Z")
Figured Iā€™d bump my own thread rather than start a new one. Found some again this year. And once again the weekend is set for Roasting, skinning and freezing a good supply for winter. because once again, it is far too hot to think about any of those dishes. I did get a bit smarter this year, and picked up some Poblanos for a quick Rellenos for dinner, to share in the Chili happiness a bit sooner šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/9 "2021-08-27T22:22:37Z")
Meanwhile, the chile wars are heating up. > **[Green with envy: New Mexico chile wins menu spot at Denver's Coors Field](https://www.abqjournal.com/2404464/despite-defeat-colorado-gov-wont-surrender-in-chile-war.html)** > > Colorado Gov. Jared Polis isn't conceding defeat in the so-called Chile War ... ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/10 "2021-08-27T22:31:30Z")
This is a marketing and branding marvel that seems to manifest more strongly the farther you get from DoƱa Ana County (where Hatch is). Theyā€™re usually just unspecified green chiles in my parts of NM and west TX. Or very rarely the cultivar (e.g. Big Jim.) I do love the smell of roasting chiles in parking lots. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/11 "2021-08-27T22:41:49Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I do love the smell of roasting chiles in parking lots. Thatā€™s one of the few things I really miss about Colorado. There are no guys roasting and selling green chiles on street corners in the Midwest. Oooh, thatā€™s the best smell in the world. šŸ˜ ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/12 "2021-08-27T22:46:14Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > > [@Ruken](#): > > > > I do love the smell of roasting chiles in parking lots. > > Thatā€™s one of the few things I really miss about Colorado. There are no guys roasting and selling green chiles on street corners in the Midwest. Oooh, thatā€™s the best smell in the world. šŸ˜ I think I would literally do the Cartoon trope of blindly following a smell hypnotically through traffic, construction yards etc. if there was a cage of roasting peppers anywhere in my state. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/13 "2021-08-27T22:53:23Z")
My local store has a huge Gaylord box of these babies for .99/lb. I donā€™t know what to do with them, and no one to cook for anymore even if I did. ā˜¹ ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/14 "2021-08-28T04:55:22Z")
I canā€™t help you with the ā€œno one to cook forā€ dimension cause I havenā€™t had anyone took for in decades, but my approach on Hatches is to roast , skin/seed, vacpack and make some for the deep, dark of winter. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/15 "2021-08-28T18:39:55Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > My local store has a huge Gaylord box of these babies for .99/lb. I donā€™t know what to do with them, and no one to cook for anymore even if I did. Do what @wolfman said as far as preparing them, and freeze them. Then you can find recipes to put them in. Green chile pork is lovely no matter how you eat it - in a bowl, or in a taco or burrito. It also freezes well. My favorite thing to do with them is to make queso fundido - a gooey mass of chiles, onions, cheese and chorizo that you scoop into tortillas until you have to wash yourself with a rag on a stick. > [@Ruken](#): > > This is a marketing and branding marvel that seems to manifest more strongly the farther you get from DoƱa Ana County (where Hatch is). > Theyā€™re usually just unspecified green chiles in my parts of NM and west TX. Or very rarely the cultivar (e.g. Big Jim.) Yeah, technically jalapenos and bell peppers are the same plant as the hatch chile. Thereā€™s a lot of variety in that species, and growing conditions do matter. Iā€™ll happily scoop up any Big Jim chiles I can find no matter where theyā€™re grown, but the ones that come in during ā€œhatch seasonā€ seem to taste better. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/16 "2021-08-28T18:48:25Z")
I was surprised to find Hatch chilis at a local store a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, they turned out to be blisteringly hot and I wasnā€™t able to use them. I know there are milder ones, but these werenā€™t them. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-the-hatch-chilies-are-here/919084/17 "2021-08-28T23:59:32Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Yeah, technically jalapenos and bell peppers are the same plant as the hatch chile. Thereā€™s a lot of variety in that species, and growing conditions do matter. Not at all what I was getting at. A jalapeƱo or bell pepper gets sold in DoƱa Ana County as a jalapeƱo or bell pepper, regardless of where itā€™s grown. Hatch Chiles are just modern New Mexico chiles grown in the Hatch Valley, and no different to the locals than modern New Mexico chiles grown in La Mesa. I never heard of Hatch chiles until I moved away, because theyā€™re not (or at least werenā€™t) sold as such locally. But they are in DC.