It’s Hatch Chile Harvest Time!

Grown in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico, Hatch Chile peppers are available for just a few short weeks each year in August and September.

Harvested from fertile soil along the Rio Grande, these peppers thrive in the river valley’s combination of nutrient-rich soil, intense sunlight and cool desert nights.

The time to harvest happens to land during Monsoon Season, so our partner’s at Melissa’s watch the weather forecast daily, if not hourly during this time of year, to strategize their next move for gathering everyone’s favorite pepper.

With enough sunshine, water and ideal growing conditions, the peppers develop thick walls and meaty, flavorful flesh unlike any other pepper.

Red or Green?

Unlike other peppers, Hatch come in different seed varieties that cover the full spectrum of heat levels. Typically, the mild to medium-hot varieties are more readily available.

Then, there is red vs. green peppers. For those that didn’t know, red peppers are the same, but have simply been left on the plant longer to ripen.

Fun Fact: To signify the importance this pepper has on the state economy in New Mexico, legislature declared ‘Red or Green?’ as the official state question in 1999.

Did you know the seeds have individual names that correspond to their spice levels?

Get to know your Hatch Chile seeds!