Randy's Farm Update 10/6/22

Well, I figured I would let ya'll know what's happening around the farms here in Hatch. Harvest is coming to an end soon, and it's always a bittersweet moment when these beautiful Hatch Green Chile Peppers start to run red in the fields. Hatch Red Chile Peppers are what started the Fresh Chile Company. My father would run up to the farms with me by his side in his pickup truck, and we would trade a little cash for a sack of fresh Hatch red chiles that would soon turn into our family recipe. Our Fresh Hatch Red Chile sauce is what true locals make. Yes, everyone knows about New Mexico Red Chile sauce, which is from sun-dried Hatch red chiles that would be dried on top of rooftops and then boiled and made into your grandma's favorite enchilada sauce. However, when you use Fresh Red Chile peppers - oh man, the color is fire engine red (my favorite color), and the taste is like none other! Sweet, hot, and full of Hatch Chile flavor!

Well, I kept daddy's tradition of making a Fresh Hatch Red Chile sauce that I would make for my family and friends in my kitchen with Carol and the children. We would put up enough for the year because you only have about 3-4 weeks to harvest these red peppers.

Who would have thought when I started giving these out as corporate gifts that the demand would be so high that we would have to open up our commercial kitchen? And then, who would have thought we would have to run so hard in late September - October to keep up with Fresh Chile's demand now? We sell out of this sauce yearly, and each year we try to guess and plan on how much to make for the following year. Who would have thought America would start to catch on to what my daddy knew? Fresh Hatch Red Chile is fresher, redder, & better! We used to joke that this was New Mexico ketchup. We would say, "Fresh Red Instead!".

This year if you're looking for something unique this holiday season. Consider the Fresh Red Chile sauce. The sauce that started it all is back in stock at all heat levels. I'll never forget those little drives with my daddy looking over the fields of Fresh Red Chile peppers. I'll never forget where I was raised and the values that my father and the community of New Mexico taught me. In America, we're fighting everyday for these values. The value to farm, produce, and share with the ones you love.

All the best,

Randy McMillan

P.S. Check out my favorite Fresh Red Chile Enchiladas Recipe