The New Mexico chili harvest gets underway in September. Locations like Deming and Hatch are known for their production of chili peppers that are part of Southwestern cuisine. The large, New Mexico style chilies are also part of a culture in the Land of Enchantment. Restaurant goers will often be asked “red or green,” when ordering, meaning, do they want red chili with their food, or green chili.
Hartman Farms in Deming, NM, farms chili and other crops in the region. Green chili harvest in late September was going through its first of probably two picks of chilies from fields on the edge of town.
Developed and bred by Arizona farmer Ed Curry, the Machete variety is popular with growers and buyers as it can yield good tonnage and high quality. Olam Spices, a vertically integrated global producer and supplier of spice ingredients, processes Hartman’s chili peppers from a facility in Deming.
The large, New Mexico style chili peppers are a big part of the state’s culture and cuisine
