This week marks the very first week of harvest, and it's a big one. Scotty brought in some medium Hatch green chile, meaty, thick, and cut from the same cloth as Big Jim. Today is the official first day of harvest for Big Jim itself, and around here that's nothing short of our Super Bowl. This story comes straight from the fields with Chris and the team at Fresh Chile Company, and it's all about what makes Hatch chile, and Big Jim in particular, worth the wait every year.
We treat Hatch Chile like wine, and here is why
Before Fresh Chile, I used to own a winery with my business partner Randy. Randy still owns that winery to this day. Every harvest, we would be out there picking Sauvignon Blanc, and our winemaker, who was also our business partner, turned to me one day and said something like, "you should really treat chile like wine." And I thought, you know what, you are right.
I went back to the chile factory all giddy about it, and I will be honest, our kitchen manager and everyone else just kind of rolled their eyes at me. It sounded like a lot of extra work, and it was. It took a couple of years to actually build this out.
Here is the problem we were solving. People plant Hatch Chile in the valley all the time, and when folks order chile, they just get sent chile. Nobody tells you the varietal. That is why, even here in New Mexico, when the waiter asks red or green, the first question back is almost always, "is it hot?" People do not actually know what heat level they are getting, because a lot of wholesalers just send whatever they have. Medium one week, hot the next.
Coming from the wine world, where you are obsessed with the varietal, made it easier for me to see the fix. We control the heat level at the plant, and we tell you exactly which one it is. No guessing.
Four varietals, four heat levels
Think of it like a wine list. Big Jim is our Merlot or our Cabernet, the most popular flavor and the most popular heat level we sell. But we grow the full range, and each one has its own personality.
Machete, mild. This is the gentle introduction to Hatch Chile. All the flavor, just a hint of warmth, and a great place to start if you are new to green chile.
575 Machete Hatch Red & Green Blend (Mild) →
Big Jim, medium. This is the one, the varietal we hand harvested this week. Big Jim is thick walled and meaty, which is exactly what makes it perfect for chile rellenos and roasting. It is not flashy sounding like a Merlot or a Cabernet, but it is the Southwest's version of a house favorite.
Fresh Big Jim Hatch Green Chile Peppers →
Sandia Select, hot. This is the one the locals actually reach for when they want the real thing. It carries a good, honest heat, not the kind that has you sweating over your enchiladas unless that is your thing, and it roasts beautifully. Fun fact, it is often mixed up with the Guinness World Record pepper, but that record for the largest chile pod actually belongs to Big Jim, back in 1975. Sandia Select earns its reputation a different way, through flavor and heat that Hatch Valley locals swear by.
Fresh Hot Hatch Green Chile Peppers →
Pre-Order the 575 Sandia Select Hatch Green Chile →
Matador, extra hot. This is for the real heat seekers. New Mexico State University has done a lot of great work developing and testing varietals like this one, and Matador is where you go if you want the intensity to match the flavor.
Want to try all four heat levels side by side?
Pure Hatch Green Chile, Mild to Xtra Hot →
Today's harvest, Big Jim's big day
Out in the field this morning, we were documenting the whole thing, the workers, the farmers, the pods coming off the plant one at a time. Every year we hold onto the lore of these old varietals even as NMSU keeps developing new ones for bigger yields, because the story of Big Jim, Sandia Select, Machete, and Matador is part of what makes Hatch Chile Hatch Chile.
We have already been selling out fast this season, and honestly, I am just grateful for the opportunity we have to do this every single year. Big Jim is back, baby. It is back.
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