One of the signs of fall in southwest Colorado is the tang of roasting chiles in the air.
Hatch, New Mexico is six hours south of here, and that’s where these chile are from. All of the chile roasters get their chiles from Hatch. (We all grow a few chiles, but they aren’t the size of those chiles from Hatch.)
A peck is $12, and he dumps it into the roaster.
People hang out for the 15 minutes their chiles take to roast.
He watches the chiles closely at the end, to make sure they’re done just right
The chiles drop some of their seeds in the roasting process, so
when they’re done, Shawn scrapes the seeds onto the ground.
He pulls the chiles out of the drum, and
scrapes them into a clear plastic bag, ties it, and then ties off the black plastic bag as well. The chiles steam in the bags, and their skins slip off.
Why do I need a peck of chiles for the freezer?
Because they are so beautiful.
I just know the contents of your freezer must be one fascinating place. I’d love to get a peek inside of that when full. Maybe you could take a photo sometime and give us all a “tour”.
Thanks. By the way, the Farmer’s Market looks so beautiful - the bounty is so plentiful.