Gimme the Chile

It's my favorite time of year, at least for my kitchen.  The time of year when I start anticipating boxes of fresh New Mexico Green Chile Peppers being delivered to my door month after month until the crops run bare.  The Chile season usually runs from July to October, but mother nature is a fickle woman and every year she's in a different mood.  And I also know where to get fresh Green Chile shipped to me year round...I've lived all over the country, but one thing has remained constant in every locale: I am one of the lucky few who's treated to the fresh and fragrant chile pepper goodness being shipped straight to my door from one of the only national distributors of this regionally distinct delicacy.  Read here to learn more...
http://www.newmexicocatalog.com/html/about_us.html

Lots of things run through my mind as I sit here thinking about my favorite seasonal ingredient:  which neighbors and friends will I invite over to share the peppers with this year? Should I have another chile roasting party outside on the grill or will I keep it simple inside and do the roasting under the broiler?  Or maybe I'll give a few special friends a small paper bag filled with a hand full of chiles, tied with a bow and note with some favorite recipes?  Which New Mexican-Mexican food dishes will I make first?  Every year part of the chile season excitement entails coming up with some sort of a plan in order to maximize every last morsel and make sure nothing goes to waste.  But the best part is sharing with friends.  Sometimes I feel like a rock star.  New Mexican chile peppers can make a person quite popular...

The hardest part is deciding which flavors and quantities you want to order.  Maybe 10lbs of one flavor and 5lbs more of another.  My husband and I usually prefer our peppers on the hotter side of flavor, but the New Mexico Catalog offers 5 heat levels and you can visit their website for more information:

http://www.newmexicocatalog.com/html/fresh_green_chile.html

Heat levels available:
Mild (Joe Parker or equivalent) a favorite for those who love the flavor of chile but who can't stand the heat. perfect on steak or hamburgers.

Medium (Big Jim or equivalent) a meaty, medium heat chile and the largest of the new mexico chile pods. great middle tier heat flavor for those who think that mild is wimpy and extra hot is completely insane.  perfect for chile rellenos.

Hot (Sandia or equivalent) this hot one is a favorite for use in a variety of traditional new mexican recipes. perfect for salsa and guacamole.

Extra-Hot (Barker or equivalent)  this classic variety has bite! if you do like it this hot it is wonderful in and on everything from eggs to hamburgers.

XX-Hot - the hottest variety of New Mexico chile peppers offered. daring indeed.

Once you decide which flavors and how many lbs you want (offered in 5, 10, 20 and 50 lbs shipments) You'll be contacted with information regarding when your chile will be available to ship.  NM Catalog are little guys themselves, and they support the little chile guys, too.  There is a whole method to the madness of figuring out which crops are ready to go and when.  The peppers are always shipped the same day they are picked from the field and packed in strong, specially designed perforated boxes which keep the peppers fresh in transit.  When your box arrives there's no turning back - you will most likely be addicted for life.  Now you can start preparing for the real fun to begin:  roasting and cooking.  Please check out my other posts for this info...